The 1981 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 50th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 44th in Washington, D.C. The team improved on their 6–10 record from 1980, finishing 8–8, but would miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. This was Joe Gibbs' first season as head coach. The team slumped early, losing its first 5 games before defeating the Chicago Bears 24–7 at Soldier Field; they would then lose to the Miami Dolphins to sit at 1–6.
Washington would do better in the second half, winning their next 4 games to reach 5–6 and looking like they were going to make the playoffs. However, losses to the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills eliminated them from postseason contention. The team would win its final 3 games to end the season at 8–8, including a close victory at RFK Stadium against the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Offseason
NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 1981 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeJoe JacobyTackleLouisvilleMel KaufmanLinebackerCal PolyLeCharls McDanielCornerbackCal PolyJay MegnaDefensive backEast Tennessee State
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 6 Dallas Cowboys L 10–26 0–1 RFK Stadium 55,045 Recap 2 September 13 New York Giants L 7–17 0–2 RFK Stadium 53,343 Recap 3 September 20 at St. Louis Cardinals L 30–40 0–3 Busch Memorial Stadium 47,592 Recap 4 September 27 at Philadelphia Eagles L 13–36 0–4 Veterans Stadium 70,664 Recap 5 October 4 San Francisco 49ers L 17–30 0–5 RFK Stadium 51,843 Recap 6 October 11 at Chicago Bears W 24–7 1–5 Soldier Field 57,683 Recap 7 October 18 at Miami Dolphins L 10–13 1–6 Miami Orange Bowl 47,367 Recap 8 October 25 New England Patriots W 24–22 2–6 RFK Stadium 50,394 Recap 9 November 1 St. Louis Cardinals W 42–21 3–6 RFK Stadium 50,643 Recap 10 November 8 Detroit Lions W 33–31 4–6 RFK Stadium 52,096 Recap 11 November 15 at New York Giants W 30–27 (OT) 5–6 Giants Stadium 63,133 Recap 12 November 22 at Dallas Cowboys L 10–24 5–7 Texas Stadium 64,587 Recap 13 November 29 at Buffalo Bills L 14–21 5–8 Rich Stadium 59,624 Recap 14 December 6 Philadelphia Eagles W 15–13 6–8 RFK Stadium 52,206 Recap 15 December 13 Baltimore Colts W 38–14 7–8 RFK Stadium 46,706 Recap 16 December 20 at Los Angeles Rams W 30–7 8–8 Anaheim Stadium 52,224 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
References
External links 1981 Washington Redskins at Pro-Football-Reference.com