1981 Baltimore Colts season

29th season in franchise history

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.

The Colts’ defense had one of the worst seasons in NFL history, setting records for points (533) and yards (6,793) allowed. (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.[1]

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).[2] 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.[3][note 1] 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.

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:

[Irsay] couldn’t have told you how many players there were on the field, never mind what plays we had. All he was trying to do was embarrass the coaches and the players. When he told me to run, I threw. When he told me to throw left, I ran right.[4]

Offseason

NFL draft

1981 Baltimore Colts draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 12 Randy McMillan  Running back Pittsburgh
1 18 Donnell Thompson  Defensive end North Carolina from Minnesota
3 68 Randy Van Divier  Tackle Washington
4 94 Tim Sherwin  Tight end Boston College
6 149 Bubba Green  Defensive tackle Penn State
7 178 Obed Ariri  Kicker Clemson
8 204 Ken Sitton  Defensive back Oklahoma
8 220 Hosea Taylor  Defensive tackle Houston
9 233 Tim Gooch  Defensive tackle Kentucky
10 256 Gregg Gerken  Linebacker Northern Arizona
10 259 Trent Bryant  Defensive back Arkansas
11 288 Holden Smith  Wide receiver North Carolina
12 315 Eric Scoggins  Linebacker USC
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1981 Baltimore Colts staff

Front office

Head coaches

  • Head Coach – Mike McCormack

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive Coordinator – Chuck Weber
  • Defensive Line – Ed Khayat
  • Defensive Backfield – John Symank

Special teams coaches

  • Special Teams – George Boutselis


Roster

1981 Baltimore Colts roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

  •  9 Mike Garrett P
  • 16 Mike Wood K
 Reserve lists
  • 11 Greg Landry QB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 56 Ed Simonini MLB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 59 Mike Woods OLB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

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

Week 1: Baltimore Colts at New England Patriots – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 10 3 31329
Patriots 0 14 01428

at Schaefer Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: September 6
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 63 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 49,572
  • Box score
Game information

First quarter

  • BAL – Mike Wood 48-yard field goal. Colts 3–0.
  • BAL – Curtis Dickey 19-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Colts 10–0.

Second quarter

  • NE – Mosi Tatupu 8-yard pass from Andy Johnson (John Smith kick). Colts 10–7.
  • BAL – Mike Wood 19-yard field goal. Colts 13–7.
  • NE – Carlos Pennywell 22-yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick). Patriots 14–13.

Third quarter

  • BAL – Mike Wood 35-yard field goal. Colts 16–14.

Fourth quarter

  • BAL – Randy McMillan 35-yard run (kick failed). Colts 22–14.
  • NE – Don Calhoun 1-yard run (John Smith kick). Colts 22–21.
  • BAL – Randy McMillan 2-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Colts 29–21.
  • NE – Don Hasselbeck 4-yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick). Colts 29–28.

Top passers

Top rushers

  • BAL – Randy McMillan – 16 rushes, 146 yards, 2 TD
  • NE – Tony Collins – 15 rushes, 81 yards

Top receivers

Statistics

Statistics BAL NE
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

Week 2: Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 7 14 7735
Colts 0 3 003

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: September 13
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 78 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 45,772
  • Box score
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • BAL – Mike Wood 22-yard field goal. Bills 7–3.
  • BUF – Jerry Butler 54-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 14–3.
  • BUF – Mark Brammer 5-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 21–3.

Third quarter

  • BUF – Buster Barnett 3-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 28–3.

Fourth quarter

  • BUF – Roland Hooks 5-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 35–3.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • BUF – Frank Lewis – 4 receptions, 82 yards
  • BAL – Roger Carr – 4 receptions, 50 yards

Statistics

Statistics BUF BAL
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

Week 3: Baltimore Colts at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 0 10010
Broncos 0 14 14028

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: September 20
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT/2:00 p.m. MDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
  • Game attendance: 74,804
  • Box score
Game information

First quarter

  • No scoring plays

Second quarter

Third quarter

  • BAL – Mike Wood 21-yard field goal. Broncos 14–3.
  • BAL – Curtis Dickey 63-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Broncos 14–10.
  • DEN – Steve Watson 18-yard pass from Craig Morton (Fred Steinfort kick). Broncos 21–10.
  • DEN – Steve Watson 48-yard pass from Craig Morton (Fred Steinfort kick). Broncos 28–10.

Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • BAL – Randy McMillan – 4 receptions, 29 yards
  • DEN – Steve Watson – 7 receptions, 143 yards, 3 TD

Statistics

Statistics BAL DEN
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

Week 4: Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 7 7 71031
Colts 0 7 14728

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: September 27
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 67 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 41,630
  • Box score
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

  • BAL – Ray Butler 19-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Tied 14–14.
  • MIA – Nick Giaquinto 14-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 21–14.
  • BAL – Ray Butler 67-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Tied 21–21.

Fourth quarter

  • MIA – Andra Franklin 1-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 28–21.
  • BAL – Curtis Dickey 1-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Tied 28–28.
  • MIA – Uwe von Schamann 27-yard field goal. Dolphins 31–28.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • MIA – Duriel Harris – 3 receptions, 73 yards
  • BAL – Ray Butler – 4 receptions, 145 yards, 2 TD

Statistics

Statistics MIA BAL
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

Week 5: Baltimore Colts at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 3 01417
Bills 14 0 3623

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: October 4
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 77,811
  • Box score
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • BAL – Mike Wood 32-yard field goal. Bills 14–3.

Third quarter

  • BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 34-yard field goal. Bills 17–3.

Fourth quarter

  • BAL – Roger Carr 6-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Bills 17–10.
  • BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 44-yard field goal. Bills 20–10.
  • BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 45-yard field goal. Bills 23–10.
  • BAL – Ray Butler 14-yard pass from Bert Jones (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 23–17.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • BAL – Curtis Dickey – 3 receptions, 80 yards
  • BUF – Jerry Butler – 4 receptions, 73 yards, TD

Statistics

Statistics BAL BUF
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

Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bengals 3 14 71741
Colts 0 5 01419

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: October 11
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Mostly sunny, 53 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 33,060
  • Referee: Fred Wyant
  • TV: NBC
  • Box score
Game information

First quarter

  • CIN – Jim Breech 38-yard field goal. Bengals 3–0.

Second quarter

  • BAL – Pat McInally punt blocked out of end zone. Bengals 3–2.
  • BAL – Mike Wood 19-yard field goal. Colts 5–3.
  • CIN – Cris Collinsworth 18-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 10–5.
  • CIN – David Verser 20-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 17–5.

Third quarter

  • CIN – Dan Ross 2-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 24–5.

Fourth quarter

  • BAL – Cleveland Franklin 1-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Bengals 24–12.
  • CIN – Jim Breech 24-yard field goal. Bengals 27–12.
  • CIN – Pete Johnson 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 34–12.
  • BAL – Reese McCall 65-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Bengals 34–19.
  • CIN – Jimmy Hargrove 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 41–19.

Top passer

  • CIN – Ken Anderson – 21/27, 257 yards, 3 TD
  • BAL – Bert Jones – 22/30, 310 yards, TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

  • CIN – Pete Johnson – 20 rushes, 75 yards, TD
  • BAL – Zachary Dixon – 6 rushes, 23 yards

Top receivers

  • CIN – Dan Ross – 7 receptions, 106 yards, TD
  • BAL – Curtis Dickey – 11 receptions, 88 yards

Statistics

Statistics CIN BAL
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

Week 7: San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 16 71343
Colts 7 0 7014

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: October 18
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 53 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 41,921
  • Referee: Bob McElwee
  • TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone and Gene Washington
  • Box score
Game information

Second quarter

  • SD – John Cappelletti 12-yard pass from Dan Fouts (kick field). Chargers 13–7.
  • SD – Charlie Joiner 23-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 20–7.
  • SD – Rolf Benirschke 30-yard field goal. Chargers 23–7.

Third quarter

  • SD – Chuck Muncie 3-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 30–7.
  • BAL – Curtis Dickey 5-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Chargers 30–14.

Fourth quarter

  • SD – John Cappelletti 1-yard run (kick failed). Chargers 36–14.
  • SD – Clarence Williams 7-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 43–14.

Top passers

  • SD – Dan Fouts – 26/43, 298 yards, 3 TD
  • BAL – Bert Jones – 20/37, 255 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

  • SD – James Brooks – 14 rushes, 72 yards
  • BAL – Curtis Dickey – 6 rushes, 32 yards

Top receivers

Statistics

Statistics SD BAL
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

Week 8: Baltimore Colts at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 7 14728
Browns 7 21 7742

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: October 25
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,986
  • Box score
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • CLE – Greg Pruitt 22-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 14–0.
  • CLE – Dave Logan 40-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 21–0.
  • BAL – Curtis Dickey 3-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Browns 21–7.
  • CLE – Charles White 2-yard run (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 28–7.

Third quarter

  • BAL – Greg Landry 11-yard fumble return (Mike Wood kick). Browns 28–14.
  • BAL – Ray Butler 36-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Browns 28–21.
  • CLE – Ricky Feacher 28-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 35–21.

Fourth quarter

  • BAL – Ray Butler 5-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Browns 35–28.
  • CLE – Mike Pruitt 16-yard run (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 42–28.

Top passers

  • BAL – Bert Jones – 17/37, 249 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
  • CLE – Brian Sipe – 30/41, 444 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

Top receivers

Statistics

Statistics BAL CLE
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

Week 9: Baltimore Colts at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 10 0010
Dolphins 7 7 10327

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Mostly sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 46,061
  • Box score

Statistics

Statistics BAL MIA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Net passing yards
Sacked–yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Week 10: vs. New York Jets

Week 10: New York Jets at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jets 10 14 71041
Colts 7 7 0014

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: November 8
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Clear, 49 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 31,521
  • Box score

Statistics

Statistics NYJ BAL
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Net passing yards
Sacked–yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Week 11: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 11: Baltimore Colts at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 6 0 0713
Eagles 7 14 10738

at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 15
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 51 °F (11 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,618
  • Box score

Statistics

Statistics BAL PHI
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Net passing yards
Sacked–yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Week 12: vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Week 12: St. Louis Cardinals at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 14 7 7735
Colts 10 0 7724

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: November 22
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 39 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 24,784
  • Box score

Statistics

Statistics STL BAL
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Net passing yards
Sacked–yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Week 13: at New York Jets

Week 13: Baltimore Colts at New York Jets – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 0 000
Jets 7 6 9325

at Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York

  • Date: November 29
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 42 °F (6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 53,593
  • Box score
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • NYJ – Pat Leahy 37-yard field goal. 'Jets 10–0.
  • NYJ – Pat Leahy 22-yard field goal. Jets 13–0.

Third quarter

  • NYJ – Freeman Mcneil 1-yard run (kick failed). Jets 19–0.
  • NYJ – Pat Leahy 27-yard field goal. Jets 22–0.

Fourth quarter

  • NYJ – Pat Leahy 27-yard field goal. Jets 25–0.

Top passers

  • BAL – Bert Jones – 10/24, 142 yards, INT
  • NYJ – Richard Todd – 16/28, 143 yards

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • BAL – Ray Butler – 5 receptions, 88 yards
  • NYJ – Bobby Jones – 4 receptions, 46 yards

Statistics

Statistics BAL NYJ
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

Week 14: Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 17 10 01037
Colts 6 0 7013

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: December 6
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cold, 39 °F (4 °C), wind chill 29 °F (−2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 54,871
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Kelly and John Dockery
  • Box score

Statistics

Statistics DAL BAL
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Net passing yards
Sacked–yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Week 15: at Washington Redskins

Week 15: Baltimore Colts at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 0 7014
Redskins 7 21 10038

at RFK Stadium, Washington, D. C.

  • Date: December 13
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 35 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 46,706
  • Box score

Statistics

Statistics BAL WAS
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Net passing yards
Sacked–yards
Turnovers
Penalties–yards

Week 16: vs. New England Patriots

Week 16: New England Patriots at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Patriots 7 7 0721
Colts 10 7 6023

at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: December 20
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Mostly sunny, 21 °F (−6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 17,073
  • Box score
Game information

First quarter

  • BAL – Mike Wood 30-yard field goal. Colts 3–0.
  • NE – Sam Cunningham 4-yard run (John Smith kick). Patriots 7–3.
  • BAL – Don McCauley 5-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Colts 10–7.

Second quarter

  • NE – Don Westbrook 15-yard pass from Tom Owen (John Smith kick). Patriots 14–10.
  • BAL – Ray Butler 53-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Colts 17–14.

Third quarter

  • BAL – Ray Butler 37-yard pass from Bert Jones (kick failed). Colts 23–14.

Fourth quarter

  • NE – Don Westbrook 2-yard pass from Matt Cavanaugh (John Smith kick). Colts 23–21.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • NE – Harold Jackson – 4 receptions, 71 yards
  • BAL – Ray Butler – 2 receptions, 90 yards, 2 TD

Statistics

Statistics NE BAL
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 the Patriots, and the Colts would secure the second overall pick instead.

Standings

AFC East
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 W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Miami Dolphins(2) 11 4 1 .719 5–2–1 8–3–1 345 275 W4
New York Jets(4) 10 5 1 .656 6–1–1 8–5–1 355 287 W2
Buffalo Bills(5) 10 6 0 .625 6–2 9–3 311 276 L1
Baltimore Colts 2 14 0 .125 2–6 2–10 259 533 W1
New England Patriots 2 14 0 .125 0–8 2–10 322 370 L9

Records set

  • Most Points Allowed, Season, 533
  • Worst Point Differential, 16-game season, -274
  • Most First-Half Points Allowed, 16-game season, 307[5]
  • Most Touchdowns Allowed, Season, 68
  • Most First Downs Allowed Season, 406
  • Fewest Punt Returns, Season, 12

[6]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The other team to never lead in eleven losses is the 1990 New England Patriots.

References

  1. ^ Cold Hard Football Facts: Ryan Kalil ad: Carolina D not up to the task
  2. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1970 to 2011, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Points Differential
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Wilson, Phillip B., 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die 17 (2013). Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  5. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1978 to 2012, in the Regular Season, sorted by descending Opp First Half score.
  6. ^ 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).
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