Cowboys

Every autumn brings the same fixture calendar, and it still means more than most: the Cowboys against the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles for divisional pride, and against the Houston Texans for the state itself, a meeting Texans call the Battle of Texas.

That defensive founding, in January 1960, produced a team that would later carry a nickname with no trace of modesty: America's Team. The five Super Bowl titles span three different eras of the club — one in the early 1970s, one under Landry in the late 1970s, and three more in the 1990s, when Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin carried the offense. Jerry Jones has owned the team since 1989, spanning the last of those title runs and everything since.

The stadium in Arlington fits 80,000 and can be pushed past 100,000 for the events big enough to demand it. Dak Prescott now runs the offense that once belonged to Aikman, with Micah Parsons anchoring the defense and CeeDee Lamb as the primary target.