29th season in franchise history
The1981 Baltimore Colts season 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 theNew England Patriots for both last place in their division, theAFC 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 the2024 Carolina Panthers , who allowed 534. The yardage record was later surpassed by the2012 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 the1970 merger , second only to the1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers , who finished 0–14 (ironically,the next year's Colts team went winless as well).[ 2] [ 3] [ note 1] [ 4]
The season included a bizarre incident in which, during the Colts’ 38–13 loss tothe Philadelphia Eagles on November 15, team ownerBob Irsay called plays from the coaches’ booth. QuarterbackBert Jones toldSports Illustrated
[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.[ 5]
After the season, defensive coordinatorChuck Weber was fired.
1981 Baltimore Colts staff Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches Special teams coaches
Special Teams – George Boutselis
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 6 atNew England Patriots W 29–281–0 Schaefer Stadium 49,572 2 September 13 Buffalo Bills L 3–351–1 Memorial Stadium 45,772 3 September 20 atDenver Broncos L 10–281–2 Mile High Stadium 74,804 4 September 27 Miami Dolphins L 28–311–3 Memorial Stadium 41,630 5 October 4 atBuffalo Bills L 17–231–4 Rich Stadium 77,811 6 October 11 Cincinnati Bengals L 19–411–5 Memorial Stadium 33,060 7 October 18 San Diego Chargers L 14–431–6 Memorial Stadium 41,921 8 October 25 atCleveland Browns L 28–421–7 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 78,986 9 November 1 atMiami Dolphins L 10–271–8 Miami Orange Bowl 46,061 10 November 8 New York Jets L 14–411–9 Memorial Stadium 31,521 11 November 15 atPhiladelphia Eagles L 13–381–10 Veterans Stadium 68,618 12 November 22 St. Louis Cardinals L 24–351–11 Memorial Stadium 24,784 13 November 29 atNew York Jets L 0–251–12 Shea Stadium 53,593 14 December 6 Dallas Cowboys L 13–371–13 Memorial Stadium 54,871 15 December 13 atWashington Redskins L 14–381–14 RFK Stadium 46,706 16 December 20 New England Patriots W 23–212–14 Memorial Stadium 17,073 Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.
Week 1: at New England Patriots [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
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
Top receivers
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 [ edit ] Week 2: Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Bills 7 14 7 7 35 Colts 0 3 0 0 3
atMemorial Stadium ,Baltimore, Maryland
Date : September 13Game time : 2:00 p.m. EDTGame weather : Partly cloudy, 78 °F (26 °C)Game attendance : 45,772Box 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
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 [ edit ] Week 3: Baltimore Colts at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Colts 0 0 10 0 10 Broncos 0 14 14 0 28
atMile High Stadium ,Denver, Colorado
Date : September 20Game time : 4:00 p.m. EDT/2:00 p.m.MDT Game weather : Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 74,804Box score
Game information First quarter
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
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
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 [ edit ] Week 4: Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Dolphins 7 7 7 10 31 Colts 0 7 14 7 28
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Date : September 27Game time : 2:00 p.m. EDTGame weather : Partly cloudy, 67 °F (19 °C)Game attendance : 41,630Box 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
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 [ edit ] Week 5: Baltimore Colts at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Colts 0 3 0 14 17 Bills 14 0 3 6 23
atRich Stadium ,Orchard Park, New York
Date : October 4Game time : 1:00 p.m. EDTGame weather : Mostly cloudy, 47 °F (8 °C)Game attendance : 77,811Box 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 fromBert 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 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 [ edit ] Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 3 14 7 17 41 Colts 0 5 0 14 19
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Date : October 11Game time : 2:00 p.m. EDTGame weather : Mostly sunny, 53 °F (12 °C)Game attendance : 33,060Referee :Fred Wyant TV :NBC Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
CIN –Dan Ross 2-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick).Bengals 24–5. Fourth quarter
Top passer
Top rushers
Top receivers
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 [ edit ] Week 7: San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Chargers 7 16 7 13 43 Colts 7 0 7 0 14
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Game information Second quarter
SD –John Cappelletti 12-yard pass fromDan 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
Top rushers
Top receivers
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 [ edit ] Week 8: Baltimore Colts at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Colts 0 7 14 7 28 Browns 7 21 7 7 42
atCleveland Municipal Stadium ,Cleveland, Ohio
Date : October 25Game time : 1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Partly cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)Game attendance : 78,986Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
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
Top rushers
Top receivers
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 [ edit ] Week 9: Baltimore Colts at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Colts 0 10 0 0 10 Dolphins 7 7 10 3 27
atMiami Orange Bowl ,Miami, Florida
Date : November 1Game time : 1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Mostly sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)Game attendance : 46,061Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
MIA – Uwe von Schamann 41-yard field goal.Dolphins 17–10. MIA –Ronnie Lee 7-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick).Dolphins 24–10. Fourth quarter
MIA – Uwe von Schamann 32-yard field goal.Dolphins 27–10. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Statistics BAL MIA 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 [ edit ] Week 10: New York Jets at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Jets 10 14 7 10 41 Colts 7 7 0 0 14
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Date : November 8Game time : 4:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Clear, 49 °F (9 °C)Game attendance : 31,521Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
BAL – Randy McMillan 1-yard run (Mike Wood kick).Colts 14–10. NYJ –Mike Augustyniak 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick).Jets 17–14. NYJ –Lam Jones 25-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick).Jets 24–14. Third quarter
NYJ –Kevin Long 1-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick).Jets 31–14. Fourth quarter
NYJ –Bruce Harper 3-yard run (Pat Leahy kick).Jets 38–14. NYJ – Pat Leahy 41-yard field goal.Jets 41–14. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Statistics NYJ BAL 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 [ edit ] Week 11: Baltimore Colts at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Colts 6 0 0 7 13 Eagles 7 14 10 7 38
atVeterans Stadium ,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date : November 15Game time : 1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Partly cloudy, 51 °F (11 °C)Game attendance : 68,618Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
PHI –Wilbert Montgomery 5-yard run (Tony Franklin kick).Eagles 14–6. PHI – Wilbert Montgomery 1-yard run (Tony Franklin kick).Eagles 21–6. Third quarter
PHI – Tony Franklin 32-yard field goal.Eagles 24–6. PHI –Charlie Smith 30-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick).Eagles 31–6. Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Statistics BAL PHI 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 [ edit ] Week 12: St. Louis Cardinals at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 14 7 7 7 35 Colts 10 0 7 7 24
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Date : November 22Game time : 2:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Partly cloudy, 39 °F (4 °C)Game attendance : 24,784Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
STL –Neil Lomax 10-yard run (Neil O'Donoghue kick).Cardinals 21–10. Third quarter
BAL –Roger Carr 5-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick).Cardinals 21–17. STL –Wayne Morris 3-yard run (Neil O'Donoghue kick).Cardinals 28–17. Fourth quarter
BAL –Ray Butler 8-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick).Cardinals 28–24. STL – Ottis Anderson 11-yard run (Neil O'Donoghue kick).Cardinals 35–24. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Statistics STL BAL 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 [ edit ] Week 13: Baltimore Colts at New York Jets – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Colts 0 0 0 0 0 Jets 7 6 9 3 25
atShea Stadium ,Flushing, New York
Date : November 29Game time : 1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Partly cloudy, 42 °F (6 °C)Game attendance : 53,593Box 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
Top rushers
Top receivers
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 [ edit ] Week 14: Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 17 10 0 10 37 Colts 6 0 7 0 13
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Game information First quarter
DAL –Ron Springs 1-yard run (Rafael Septién kick).Cowboys 7–0. DAL – Rafael Septién 42-yard field goal.Cowboys 10–0. DAL – Ron Springs 2-yard run (Rafael Septién kick).Cowboys 17–0. BAL –Curtis Dickey 20-yard run (kick failed).Cowboys 17–6. Second quarter
DAL – Ron Springs 2-yard pass fromGlenn Carano (Rafael Septién kick).Cowboys 24–6. DAL – Rafael Septién 35-yard field goal.Cowboys 27–6. Third quarter
BAL – Curtis Dickey 20-yard run (Mike Wood kick).Cowboys 27–13. Fourth quarter
DAL – Rafael Septién 31-yard field goal.Cowboys 30–13. DAL –James Jones 59-yard run (Rafael Septién kick).Cowboys 37–13. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Statistics DAL BAL 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 [ edit ] Week 15: Baltimore Colts at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Colts 7 0 7 0 14 Redskins 7 21 10 0 38
atRFK Stadium ,Washington, D. C.
Date : December 13Game time : 1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Cloudy, 35 °F (2 °C)Game attendance : 46,706Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
WAS –John Riggins 8-yard run (Mark Moseley kick).Redskins 14–7. WAS – John Riggins 14-yard run (Mark Moseley kick).Redskins 21–7. WAS – Joe Theismann 8-yard run (Mark Moseley kick).Redskins 28–7. Third quarter
WAS –Art Monk 13-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick).Redskins 35–7. BAL –Reese McCall 6-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick).Redskins 35–14. WAS – Mark Moseley 32-yard field goal.Redskins 38–14. Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Statistics BAL WAS 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 [ edit ] Week 16: New England Patriots at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 7 7 0 7 21 Colts 10 7 6 0 23
at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Date : December 20Game time : 2:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Mostly sunny, 21 °F (−6 °C)Game attendance : 17,073Referee :Ben Dreith Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
BAL – Ray Butler 37-yard pass from Bert Jones (kick failed).Colts 23–14. Fourth quarter
NE – Don Westbrook 2-yard pass fromMatt Cavanaugh (John Smith kick).Colts 23–21. Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
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 thefirst overall pick in thefollowing draft , which would go to the Patriots, and the Colts would secure thesecond overall pick instead.
Most Points Allowed, Season , 533Worst Point Differential, 16-game season , -274Most First-Half Points Allowed, 16-game season , 307[ 6] Most Touchdowns Allowed, Season , 68Most First Downs Allowed Season , 406Fewest Punt Returns, Season , 12[ 7]
^ "Ryan Kalil ad: Carolina D not up to the task" .www.coldhardfootballfacts.com . Archived fromthe original on December 6, 2012.^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1970 to 2011, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Points Differential ^ 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. ^ "1981 DVOA: 49ers Finally Win It All, but Eagles Rule DVOA | Football Outsiders" .www.footballoutsiders.com . Archived fromthe original on November 30, 2022.^ Wilson, Phillip B.,100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die 17 (2013). Retrieved December 11, 2014. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1978 to 2012, in the Regular Season, sorted by descending Opp First Half score. ^ The '81 Colts held the record for most total yards allowed in a 16-game season—6,793—until it was broken by the2012 New Orleans Saints (7,042).
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Division championships (16) Conference championships (7) League championships (5) Retired numbers Media Current league affiliations
