The Dallas Cowboys made the surprising decision to bring their own sideline benches to Washington for Sunday’s game, and we now know why.
As some speculated, the Cowboys did not trust the heated benches at FedExField to work properly. ESPN’s Todd Archer reports that Dallas was tipped off about the benches by the Seattle Seahawks, who played at Washington on Nov. 30. The Seahawks said the heated benches on the visiting sideline kept going on and off during that game.
The benches didn’t come from Dallas, either. According to Archer, the Cowboys partnered with a company in Cleveland to have the benches made and shipped to FexExField. Of course, the Cowboys did make the choice to have their team name and logo plastered all over the benches, which is what really drew attention to them.
Temperatures are expected to be in the 40s for Sunday’s game. That’s why the Cowboys wanted to make sure they have properly working heated benches.
It should be noted that mechanical issues seem quite common at FedExField. There was a massive leak in one of the luxury suites earlier this season (video here).
All that said, Washington will probably use the bench situation as added motivation on Sunday. Between that and Mike McCarthy’s controversial remarks, they should be more than ready to play.
