Cowboys, Chargers get into bench-clearing fight ahead of Monday Night Football

A fight broke out during pregame warmups for Week 6’s Monday Night Football matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers. The scrap saw a handful of players from both teams get into a pushing and shoving contest before having to be seperated.

The pregame physicality came as the Cowboys were taking to the field. They had to pass the Chargers during warmups and with obvious jawing going on, those on the Los Angeles roster took exception to what they had to say and reciprocated.

Check out the insane scuffle below:

The Cowboys and Chargers got into it ahead of #MNF 😳 pic.twitter.com/0y7dVEjsWF

— ESPN (@espn) October 16, 2023

It’s unclear who or what exactly caused the fight to begin, but both sides had to seperated by coaches and officials. Whether any repercussions will be handed down remains to be seen with kickoff just minutes away.

The fight isn’t the first to happen during the Week 6 slate, however. Ahead of Sunday’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns, cameras captured a pregame fight between the two teams, started by some jawing between star wideout Deebo Samuel and Browns safety Juan Thornhill. Backing up his teammate, 49ers tackle Trent Williams also came running into the scuffle.

Cleveland would go on to defeat the 49ers 19-17 in one of the bigger upsets from Sunday. The Cowboys are 1.5-point betting favorites on the road, per Vegas Insider. San Francisco was a favorite on the road as well.

Chargers return Austin Ekeler vs Cowboys

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler hasn’t played in a month because of a sprained ankle but after several days of practice at full-go, the team expects to have him available for Monday night’s game against the 3-2 Dallas Cowboys, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero.

On top of the return of the running back, the Los Angeles Chargers also reportedly expect edge rusher Joey Bosa and wide receiver Joshua Palmer to play on Monday on the West Coast. Bosa was dealing with a toe injury while Palmer nursed a groin injury.

In Ekeler’s only appearance this season, he posted 117 rushing yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. His longest run was for a 55-yard gain. Last year, he had a career-high 13 rushing touchdowns on 204 carries with 915 rushing yards. He also added 107 receptions for 722 yards and another five touchdowns.

Joey Bosa, who hasn’t played a game yet in the month of October, has six tackles, including three sacks, in three games this year. Last week, his brother Nick Bosa posted a half-sack against Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle contributed to this report