The 1981 Baltimore Colts season was the 29th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). The Colts finished the NFL's 1981 season with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses, finishing in a tie with the New England Patriots for both last place in their division, the AFC East, and the worst record in the league. However, by virtue of beating the Patriots for their only two wins of the season, the Colts finished ahead of New England on a tiebreaker. Those wins came in the first and last weeks of the season, as the Colts lost their other fourteen games consecutively. They won those 2 games by a combined 3 points.
The Colts’ defense had one of the worst seasons in NFL history, setting records for points (533) and yards (6,793) allowed. (The points record was later surpassed by the 2024 Carolina Panthers, who allowed 534 in a 17-game season. The yardage record was later surpassed by the 2012 New Orleans Saints, who allowed 7,042.) The Colts gave up more than twice as many points as they scored (259). Conversely, the Patriots, with whom they were tied in the AFC East, only gave up 48 more points than they scored. The Colts’ pass defense surrendered a staggering 8.19 yards-per-dropback, the most surrendered by any team in NFL history.
The Colts’ -274 point differential (points scored vs. points allowed) is the second-worst since the 1970 merger, second only to the 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished 0–14 (ironically, the next year's Colts team went winless as well).Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1970 to 2011, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Points Differential The 1981 Colts are the first of only two NFL teams since 1940 to suffer eleven losses in a season during which they never had a lead.Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the regular season, team never had a lead during the game, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.The other team to never lead in eleven losses is the 1990 New England Patriots. The Colts allowed 40 points in 4 separate games during the season (including 3 games in a row from weeks 6-8), which is still an NFL record. According to Football Outsiders, they have the worst overall defense and passing defense in their ranking's history.
The season included a bizarre incident in which, during the Colts’ 38–13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on November 15, team owner Bob Irsay called plays from the coaches’ booth. Quarterback Bert Jones told Sports Illustrated in 1986:
After the season, defensive coordinator Chuck Weber was fired.
Offseason NFL draft
Personnel Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 6 at New England Patriots W 29–28 1–0 Schaefer Stadium 49,572 2 September 13 Buffalo Bills L 3–35 1–1 Memorial Stadium 45,772 3 September 20 at Denver Broncos L 10–28 1–2 Mile High Stadium 74,804 4 September 27 Miami Dolphins L 28–31 1–3 Memorial Stadium 41,630 5 October 4 at Buffalo Bills L 17–23 1–4 Rich Stadium 77,811 6 October 11 Cincinnati Bengals L 19–41 1–5 Memorial Stadium 33,060 7 October 18 San Diego Chargers L 14–43 1–6 Memorial Stadium 41,921 8 October 25 at Cleveland Browns L 28–42 1–7 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 78,986 9 November 1 at Miami Dolphins L 10–27 1–8 Miami Orange Bowl 46,061 10 November 8 New York Jets L 14–41 1–9 Memorial Stadium 31,521 11 November 15 at Philadelphia Eagles L 13–38 1–10 Veterans Stadium 68,618 12 November 22 St. Louis Cardinals L 24–35 1–11 Memorial Stadium 24,784 13 November 29 at New York Jets L 0–25 1–12 Shea Stadium 53,593 14 December 6 Dallas Cowboys L 13–37 1–13 Memorial Stadium 54,871 15 December 13 at Washington Redskins L 14–38 1–14 RFK Stadium 46,706 16 December 20 New England Patriots W 23–21 2–14 Memorial Stadium 17,073 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: at New England Patriots
Statistics BALNE First downs 21 22 Total yards 346 388 Rushing yards 249 114 Net passing yards 97 274 Sacked–yards 2–16 3–11 Turnovers 1 3 Penalties–yards 10–75 8–84
Week 2: vs. Buffalo Bills
Statistics BUFBAL First downs 26 11 Total yards 430 147 Rushing yards 169 73 Net passing yards 261 74 Sacked–yards 0–0 5–46 Turnovers 3 3 Penalties–yards 9–65 1–5
Week 3: at Denver Broncos
Statistics BALDEN First downs 10 27 Total yards 209 442 Rushing yards 161 127 Net passing yards 48 315 Sacked–yards 2–17 3–26 Turnovers 3 4 Penalties–yards 8–63 9–65
Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins
Statistics MIABAL First downs 22 20 Total yards 428 514 Rushing yards 119 166 Net passing yards 309 348 Sacked–yards 0–0 1–9 Turnovers 0 1 Penalties–yards 4–35 6–52
Week 5: at Buffalo Bills
Statistics BALBUF First downs 23 22 Total yards 378 366 Rushing yards 133 229 Net passing yards 245 137 Sacked–yards 4–30 1–11 Turnovers 2 1 Penalties–yards 10–55 7–49
Week 6: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Statistics CINBAL First downs 24 22 Total yards 378 350 Rushing yards 121 56 Net passing yards 257 294 Sacked–yards 0–0 4–42 Turnovers 0 4 Penalties–yards 5–54 6–51
Week 7: vs. San Diego Chargers
Statistics SDBAL First downs 30 18 Total yards 470 264 Rushing yards 172 68 Net passing yards 298 196 Sacked–yards 0–0 6–59 Turnovers 1 3 Penalties–yards 6–30 5–45
Week 8: at Cleveland Browns
Statistics BALCLE First downs 18 30 Total yards 357 562 Rushing yards 118 131 Net passing yards 239 431 Sacked–yards 2–10 1–13 Turnovers 3 6 Penalties–yards 5–33 6–56
Week 9: at Miami Dolphins
Statistics BALMIA First downs 19 19 Total yards 308 310 Rushing yards 68 146 Net passing yards 240 164 Sacked–yards 1–8 0–0 Turnovers 3 0 Penalties–yards 7–58 6–55
Week 10: vs. New York Jets
Statistics NYJBAL First downs 28 21 Total yards 393 332 Rushing yards 122 114 Net passing yards 271 218 Sacked–yards 1–6 2–25 Turnovers 0 2 Penalties–yards 4–25 6–74
Week 11: at Philadelphia Eagles
Statistics BALPHI First downs 9 34 Total yards 208 574 Rushing yards 36 235 Net passing yards 172 339 Sacked–yards 0–0 1–13 Turnovers 2 2 Penalties–yards 7–53 6–45
Week 12: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Statistics STLBAL First downs 24 22 Total yards 452 385 Rushing yards 241 155 Net passing yards 211 230 Sacked–yards 1–8 0–0 Turnovers 3 2 Penalties–yards 7–60 6–54
Week 13: at New York Jets
Statistics BALNYJ First downs 11 22 Total yards 152 300 Rushing yards 49 161 Net passing yards 103 139 Sacked–yards 5–39 1–4 Turnovers 1 0 Penalties–yards 9–82 6–40
Week 14: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Statistics DALBAL First downs 29 9 Total yards 464 238 Rushing yards 354 156 Net passing yards 110 82 Sacked–yards 0–0 1–8 Turnovers 2 3 Penalties–yards 6–33 11–87
Week 15: at Washington Redskins
Statistics BALWAS First downs 21 27 Total yards 337 486 Rushing yards 120 147 Net passing yards 217 339 Sacked–yards 1–0 0–0 Turnovers 2 1 Penalties–yards 3–73 6–60
Week 16: vs. New England Patriots
Statistics NEBAL First downs 20 19 Total yards 350 383 Rushing yards 77 128 Net passing yards 273 255 Sacked–yards 1–8 1–12 Turnovers 4 2 Penalties–yards 6–20 6–53
The Colts ended the 1981 season by snapping their 14-game losing streak and swept the Patriots. However, the win would cause the Colts to lose out on the first overall pick in the following draft, which would go to the Patriots, and the Colts would secure the second overall pick instead.
Standings
Records set
Most Points Allowed, Season, 533 Worst Point Differential, 16-game season, -274 Most First-Half Points Allowed, 16-game season, 307Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1978 to 2012, in the Regular Season, sorted by descending Opp First Half score. Most Touchdowns Allowed, Season, 68 Most First Downs Allowed Season, 406 Fewest Punt Returns, Season, 12 The '81 Colts held the record for most total yards allowed in a 16-game season—6,793—until it was broken by the 2012 New Orleans Saints (7,042).
See also History of the Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts seasons Colts–Patriots rivalry List of organizational conflicts in the NFL
Notes
References