SportsQuest
All games

Week 18, Sun, Jan 10, 1:00 PM local

Dallas Cowboysat Washington Commanders

Northwest Stadium, Landover. Fly into DCA.

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The matchup

Form, ESPN's model and the stat leaders
Form

The Cowboys are 1-2 after 3 games, 3rd in the NFC East.

They are 0-1 on the road.

The Commanders are 1-2 after 3 games, 4th in the NFC East.

They are 1-0 at home.

What we know about Northwest Stadium

Where visiting fans stay

From a specialist guide
  • Capitol Hill / Navy Yard, Washington D.C.. Metro Blue or Silver Line to Morgan Boulevard, then a 1-mile / 20-minute walk. Stay in Washington. Treat the stadium as a day trip. Navy Yard and Capitol Hill sit on the Metro, a straight Blue or Silver Line ride east. They give you a real sports bar district, around Nationals Park and Barracks Row, for the night before and after. Landover cannot offer that.
  • Downtown D.C. / Penn Quarter. Metro Blue or Silver Line to Morgan Boulevard, then a 1-mile / 20-minute walk. Hotel options run deep here. You get direct Blue or Silver Line service to Morgan Boulevard with no change, and the shortest airport transfer from DCA. If you want sightseeing built around the game, stay here.
  • Largo / Woodmore. 20 min. walk from Largo-area hotels, or Metro from Downtown Largo. Pick this only if a short trip to the stadium matters more than anything else. Residence Inn Largo is 0.8 miles away. WoodSpring Suites is 0.6 miles away. Woodmore Town Center off Landover Road has chain restaurants. But office parks fill the area. You will spend Saturday night in a strip mall.

Around the stadium

From a specialist guide
There is no walkable bar or restaurant cluster at Northwest Stadium. The area is dominated by office parks with limited options. A small strip mall sits at Landover Road and Brightseat Road. Woodmore Town Center is a drive away, with Carolina Kitchen, Copper Canyon Grill, and Jasper's American Grill. Nothing is walkable from the stadium and back. This is why you stay in Washington, not near the stadium.

Getting in from the airport

From a specialist guide
DCA, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. 15 minutes via Metro Blue or Yellow Line from the station inside the terminal to Metro Center.

Getting to the stadium

Checked at the source
WMATA Metrorail Blue and Silver Lines to Morgan Boulevard. One mile, about 20 minutes. The walk goes uphill in spots, through residential streets, then into the parking lots. No shuttle runs. WMATA Metrorail Blue and Silver Lines to Downtown Largo. Plan for a long walk here too. WMATA says the walk between Northwest Stadium and the Morgan Boulevard and Downtown Largo stations can take more than 20 minutes, depending on crowds. After events, only Morgan Boulevard and Downtown Largo open for entry. Every other nearby station is exit only.

Tailgating

Checked at the source
There's no organized tailgate village at Northwest Stadium, only private, car-based tailgates in the lots. A fan on foot with a game ticket can still join one. Pedestrians with a valid ticket can walk into the lots and join tailgating without a vehicle or parking pass. Anyone without a ticket who stays after the event starts is treated as a trespasser. Tailgating is allowed in all lots except H-Burgundy and team or staff lots. Expect a 1-mile, 20-minute walk from Morgan Boulevard station into a field of strangers' tailgates, with no host and nothing to buy.

Getting in

Checked at the source
  • Bag policy: You may carry one clear bag, plastic, vinyl, or PVC, no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches. Or a one-gallon clear freezer bag. Plus a small clutch up to 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches. An exception applies for medically necessary items, after inspection at a designated gate. Diaper bags, camera bags, backpacks, fanny packs, and cinch bags are not allowed.
  • Re-entry: Re-entry is allowed only with a full, unused ticket for that day's event. Once you scan in, you can't come back out and return.
  • Prohibited items: No umbrellas, strollers except for suite holders, outside food or drinks, coolers, folding chairs, cameras with detachable lenses 5 inches or longer, laptops, gaming consoles, LED lights, laser pointers, noisemakers, or self-defense spray. Smoking is banned in seating bowls, the main concourse, Legends Plaza, portals, tunnels, the Gate A Ramp, and restrooms.

Touring the stadium

From a specialist guide
No public stadium tours, and the stadium is due to come down after the move to RFK.

After the final whistle

From a specialist guide
This is the weak point. A walk over 20 minutes gets longer under crowds, and only two stations open for entry after the game. The whole transit crowd funnels into Morgan Boulevard and Downtown Largo. WMATA holds trains for late finishes. For one Sunday night game, it set last Silver Line departures at 12:32 a.m. from Downtown Largo and 12:35 a.m. from Morgan Blvd. Driving is no better. The roads to the stadium are windy and not wide enough for that much traffic. Budget an hour from final whistle to boarding a train.

One thing to avoid

From a specialist guide
Don't book a hotel in Landover or on the Capital Beltway to be near the stadium. You save 30 minutes on game day and lose the rest of the trip. There's nothing to walk to, and you'll ride the same Metro back into D.C. every evening anyway. Book in Washington instead.

Bars near the stadium

Checked at the source

  • The Dubliner

    4 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20001

    Danny Coleman opened The Dubliner in 1974. His father opened Coleman's Saloon in Syracuse in 1933.

    Away fans: mixed crowd. A destination Irish pub, part tourist, part local.

  • Ireland's Four Courts

    2051 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201

    Four Courts is an Arlington Irish pub built around international football. Men in Blazers named it America's Best Soccer Bar 2025-2026.

    Away fans: home of the Nova Vikes Minnesota Vikings fan club, the base for visiting Vikings fans. Otherwise a mixed international soccer crowd.

  • Franklin Hall

    1348 Florida Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 (U Street/Shaw)

    Franklin Hall sits in the old Manhattan Laundry building on Florida Avenue, a brick industrial shell turned into an American beer hall. Long tables, a big room, burgers and fried chicken, and a rotating specials board.

    Away fans: mixed crowd. A large neighborhood beer hall.

Sidequests in Landover

In the order they happen. Each one earns points.

  1. Outing40 points

    National Air and Space Museum

    Free Smithsonian museum on the Mall, open 10 am to 5:30 pm daily. Reserve a free timed pass online before you go. Good half day for families on Saturday.

    Free. The day before

  2. Outing40 points

    Smithsonian National Zoo

    Free zoo in Woodley Park. Grounds open 8 am to 4 pm, last entry 3 pm, animal houses 9 am to 3:30 pm. Everyone needs an entry pass, even infants, reserved online.

    Free. The day before

  3. Eat65 points

    Half-smoke at Ben's Chili Bowl

    U Street counter open since 1958, home of the chili half-smoke DC claims as its own. Stadium sells them too; counter opens 11 am daily, until 4 am Friday and Saturday.

    $. The day before

  4. Photo25 points

    Lincoln Memorial steps

    Open 24 hours, free, fits before breakfast or after a night game. Shoot the Reflecting Pool and Washington Monument from the top step. No ticket needed for the chamber.

    Free. The day before

  5. Drink25 points

    Old Ebbitt Grill raw bar

    Oldest bar in DC, opened 1856, a block from the White House. Raw-bar discounts at happy hour. Good the night before or after an early game.

    $$$. 18 hours before kickoff

  6. Drink25 points

    The Dubliner by Union Station

    Irish pub next to Union Station, live music every night from 7:30 pm. One transfer from the Red Line to Blue or Silver puts you at the stadium. Works for the night before.

    $$. 17 hours before kickoff

  7. Eat65 points

    Weekend brunch at Founding Farmers

    Farmer-owned restaurant three blocks west of the White House. Brunch runs 8 am to 2 pm Saturday and Sunday, fried chicken and waffles the order to get; weekday breakfast starts at 7 am.

    $$. 5 hours before kickoff

  8. Landmark65 points

    Eastern Market on the way out

    Capitol Hill market on the Blue and Silver Lines toward the stadium. Farmers and craft vendors outside Saturday and Sunday, 9 am to 4 pm. Indoor food stalls run year-round.

    Free. 4 hours before kickoff

  9. Eat65 points

    Carolina Kitchen near the stadium

    Southern restaurant one mile from the stadium in the Largo shopping area, closest sit-down meal to the gates. Good call before a 1 pm kickoff when downtown DC is too far.

    $$. 3 hours 30 minutes before kickoff

  10. Tailgate65 points

    Bud Light Party Pavilion between Gates F and G

    The team's official pregame party on the south side, music and the radio show. Walk in from Metro, no car needed. Lots open four hours before kickoff.

    Free. 2 hours 30 minutes before kickoff

  11. Ritual25 points

    Blue or Silver Line to Morgan Boulevard, then walk

    Ride Blue or Silver to Morgan Boulevard, then walk about a mile. Takes 20 minutes up Morgan Boulevard to the lots. No shuttle runs, but Metro adds late trains for night games.

    $. 2 hours before kickoff

Seats and views

Where each part of Northwest Stadium sits, and what you see from it.

Lower Level, end zoneLower Level, corner, home sideLower Level, home sidelineLower Level, corner, home sideLower Level, end zoneLower Level, corner, visitor sideLower Level, visitor sidelineLower Level, corner, visitor sideClub Level, end zoneClub Level, corner, home sideClub Level, home sidelineClub Level, corner, home sideClub Level, end zoneClub Level, corner, visitor sideClub Level, visitor sidelineClub Level, corner, visitor sideUpper Level, end zoneUpper Level, corner, home sideUpper Level, home sidelineUpper Level, corner, home sideUpper Level, end zoneUpper Level, corner, visitor sideUpper Level, visitor sidelineUpper Level, corner, visitor sideHomeVisitors
Lower Level101 to 142; Dream Seats are field sections 1 to 42Club Level300s, for example 303 to 340Upper Level400s, for example 403 to 435Tap any part of the stadium to see its view.