A mere day after the Browns and 49ers got into a group physical altercation, prior to Week 6’s edition of Monday Night Football the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys followed suit.
And oh boy, was this the last thing LA tailback Austin Ekeler needed before his official return from injury.
Out with a high ankle sprain since rushing for over 100 yards in the season opener, Ekeler had to be pumped about making his grand return in prime time at home. Unfortunately, he was on the business end of incoming ill intentions from Cowboys defensive end Dante Fowler Jr.
A closer look from ESPN:
Here’s Joe Buck officially announcing a lead-in to the fight, which always makes it a little more fun:
This whole fiasco seems so avoidable. Neither team should be engaging in such shenanigans when they both have zero margin for error. You know who just got humiliated last Sunday night by a score of 42-10? The Dallas Cowboys. You know who’s coming off a bye and needs to establish a new identity since they’re seemingly the most cursed good team of this era of pro football? The Los Angeles Chargers.
What are we doing out here, gents!? Dante Fowler, it is vital you contribute something to the Cowboys’ pass rush. Be that depth guy to give dudes like Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence a rest. Don’t be throwing severe hooks at opponents whilst their helmets are on.
And Austin Ekeler… your all-around skill set makes the Chargers’ offense so much more balanced, multiple and explosive. You’re already down one of your top two receivers in Mike Williams. Don’t be getting mixed up in this kind of scene.
Writing this just as the game is about to get underway. What a matchup for Monday eve. Two teams notorious for blowing it on big stages over the past couple-plus decades. It’s like a game of chicken between Mike McCarthy and Brandon Staley as far as which head coach can make the most boneheaded mistake. Got my popcorn ready.
Kellen Moore making the move from the Cowboys to the Chargers to be Justin Herbert’s offensive coordinator is an awesome subplot to this showdown. Let’s see if McCarthy and Dak Prescott can keep up with the dynamic OC/QB duo of Moore and Herbert.
Back to the main topic of this article to close it all out: Beyond the practical “make sure you’re available for the game” rationale behind being against a pregame fight of any kind, hey, good for the fans in attendance.
There should be more buzz around football in Los Angeles. Maybe a scuffle and the biggest brand in the league coming to down in the Cowboys will help drive interest on this particular occasion.
