Cowboys Country

FIGHT! Dallas Cowboys & Chargers Throw Punches in 'Monday Night Football' Pregame; How to Watch, Betting Odds

FIGHT! Dallas Cowboys & Chargers Throw Punches in 'Monday Night Football' Pregame; How to Watch, Betting Odds

Timm Hamm

In this story:

The Chargers host the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football in a matchup between two teams searching for answers. ... and two teams that moments ago exchanged punches in a pregame skirmish, with Dallas defensive end Dante Fowler and rookie defensive tackle Mazi Smith very much in the middle of it. 

The calm-down looked something like this ...

And some more ...

Meanwhile … The extra day of preparation in advance of the nationally televised contest is welcomed by both teams. 

It gives Los Angeles more time to heal some key starters. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has been dealing with a broken finger on his non-throwing hand and the extra rest will put him in a better position to play. For Dallas, it's more time to deal with the shock of its 42-10 blowout loss to the 49ers last Sunday night.

While the Cowboys' loss to Arizona two weeks ago was bad enough, what happened in San Francisco was unthinkable for the team.

“When we lost to Arizona, I wish we could have played Thursday. Wish we could have played Monday, the next day,” defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. “In this case, I think it’s probably better to have one more (day). I think each time is a little different. I’ll be honest. I’m glad it isn’t a bye. And we get ready to go.”

Dak Prescott (L) and Justin Herbert
Dak Prescott (L) and Justin Herbert / FanStreamSports.com

Maybe the loss last Sunday will provide something positive, as the Cowboys are 9-1 after a loss since 2021.

The Chargers should have some key starters back in running back Austin Eckler and safety Derwin James, which will help their cause against Dallas.

“The bye week was definitely beneficial for me. I feel like I healed up pretty good over the bye for sure,” James said. “And it helped get some guys back out here on the team that we’re gonna need for the rest of the season. So it’s gonna be fun.” 

While he expects fun, James also expects the Cowboys to be mad.

“As a human being, anybody that gets embarrassed, you’re gonna always respond and there’s always gonna be that urgency to respond. We know that,” he said.

WHAT: Dallas Cowboys (3-2) at Los Angeles Chargers (2-2)

WHERE: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, California (71,500)

WHEN: Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, 7:15 p.m. CT

TELEVISION: Monday Night Football on ABC/ESPN / FuboTV (try it free)

RADIO: KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan

TICKETS: SI Tickets

BETTING via SI SportsBook

SPREAD: Cowboys -2.5

TOTAL: 50.5

MONEYLINE: Cowboys -137, Chargers +115

Published
Timm Hamm
TIMM HAMM

Home/News