Since FedEx Field opened in 1997, the Washington NFL franchise was nothing short of woeful on Monday night football.
Even when the Commanders were playing well in the 2016 season, they came into FedEx Field in a December contest against the Carolina Panthers and laid an egg.
The numbers were unbelievably horrible. Washington was 2-21 in home Monday Night games through the 2019 season.
The memories of some of those games are so bad I’ve been unable to repress the memories. How could I ever forget the 2008 23-6 home loss to the Steelers in what felt (and sounded) like a Pittsburgh home game?
How about Jim Zorn’s Swinging Gate on a cold December 2009 night when Washington lost embarrassingly to the NY Giants 45-12?
The next season Mike Shanahan was the head coach, but that didn’t stop the Eagles from humiliating Washington 59-28.
Jay Gruden was at the helm when in 2018 Washington traveled to New Orleans only to get drilled by the Saints 43-19. That game was so ugly for Washington, looking so anemic on both sides of the ball.
Ron Rivera took the helm for the 2020 season. He found the NFL wanted to stay as far away from Washington in prime time as possible. The “Football Team” was not scheduled for either a Sunday night or Monday night game.
But there was Washington at 6-9, and a win would capture the NFC East. So the NFL flexed the Washington at Philly game in Week 17 to Sunday night in prime time.
Washington won that contest 20-14 and came back the following season to beat the Giants 30-29 (Thursday Night), Seattle 17-15 (Monday Night), before losing at the Eagles 27-17 (Tuesday Night) and Dallas 56-14 (Sunday Night).
This 2022 season the Commanders have defeated the Bears 12-7 (Thursday Night) and Eagles 32-21 (Monday Night).
Yes, with Ron Rivera, the NFL now looks to the Commanders in prime time for a good show. Thus the NFL has flexed the Week 15 Commanders’ home game against the Giants to Sunday Night Football.
Provides new meaning to changing the culture, doesn’t it?