| 1985 Washington Redskins season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jack Kent Cooke |
| President | John Kent Cooke |
| General manager | Bobby Beathard |
| Head coach | Joe Gibbs |
| Offensive coordinator | Joe Bugel |
| Defensive coordinator | Richie Petitbon |
| Home stadium | RFK Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 3rdNFC East |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The1985Washington Redskinsseason was the franchise's 54th season in theNational Football League (NFL) and their 49th inWashington, D.C. The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1984 and finished 10–6. The biggest moment of the year occurred on a November 18Monday Night Football game, which witnessedJoe Theismann's career-ending injury after a sack byNew York Giantsoutside linebackerLawrence Taylor. The tackle resulted in a serious leg injury, and Theismann never played in theNFL again. Though the team failed to make the playoffs, they remained in contention for the entire regular season.
They also were assessed the fewest penalties in the league, with 74. That was 48 fewer than the Bills, who won eight fewer games than Washington did.[1]
During the December 15 game against theCincinnati Bengals, law authorities conducted a successfulsting operation which resulted in the arrest of 101 fugitives who thought they had received free tickets to the game.[2]
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 33 | Tory Nixon | DB | San Diego State |
| 5 | 122 | Raphel Cherry | DB | Hawaii |
| 6 | 163 | Danzell Lee | TE | Lamar |
| 8 | 219 | Barry Wilburn | DB | Mississippi |
| 10 | 263 | Terry Orr | TE | Texas |
| 11 | 290 | Raleigh McKenzie | C | Tennessee |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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| Quarterbacks(QB) Running backs(RB) Wide receivers(WR) Tight ends(TE) | Offensive linemen(OL) | Linebackers(LB) Defensive backs(DB)
Special teams(ST) | Reserve
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | atDallas Cowboys | L 14–44 | 0–1 | Texas Stadium | 62,292 | Recap |
| 2 | September 15 | Houston Oilers | W 16–13 | 1–1 | RFK Stadium | 53,553 | Recap |
| 3 | September 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 6–19 | 1–2 | RFK Stadium | 53,748 | Recap |
| 4 | September 29 | atChicago Bears | L 10–45 | 1–3 | Soldier Field | 63,708 | Recap |
| 5 | October 7 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 27–10 | 2–3 | RFK Stadium | 53,134 | Recap |
| 6 | October 13 | Detroit Lions | W 24–3 | 3–3 | RFK Stadium | 52,845 | Recap |
| 7 | October 20 | atNew York Giants | L 3–17 | 3–4 | Giants Stadium | 74,389 | Recap |
| 8 | October 27 | atCleveland Browns | W 14–7 | 4–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,540 | Recap |
| 9 | November 3 | atAtlanta Falcons | W 44–10 | 5–4 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 42,209 | Recap |
| 10 | November 10 | Dallas Cowboys | L 7–13 | 5–5 | RFK Stadium | 55,750 | Recap |
| 11 | November 18 | New York Giants | W 23–21 | 6–5 | RFK Stadium | 53,371 | Recap |
| 12 | November 24 | atPittsburgh Steelers | W 30–23 | 7–5 | Three Rivers Stadium | 59,293 | Recap |
| 13 | December 1 | San Francisco 49ers | L 8–35 | 7–6 | RFK Stadium | 51,321 | Recap |
| 14 | December 8 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | W 17–12 | 8–6 | Veterans Stadium | 60,737 | Recap |
| 15 | December 15 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–24 | 9–6 | RFK Stadium | 50,544 | Recap |
| 16 | December 21 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | W 27–16 | 10–6 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 28,090 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| •Cowboys | 3 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 44 |
| 1 | Cowboys | Rafael Septién 53-yard field goal | Cowboys 3–0 | |
| 2 | Cowboys | Timmy Newsome 1-yard run (Rafael Septien kick) | Cowboys 10–0 | |
| 2 | Redskins | John Riggins 1-yard run (Mark Moseley kick) | Cowboys 10–7 | |
| 2 | Cowboys | Mike Renfro 55-yard pass fromDanny White (Rafael Septien kick) | Cowboys 17–7 | |
| 3 | Cowboys | Rafael Septien 39-yard field goal | Cowboys 20–7 | |
| 3 | Cowboys | Rafael Septien 43-yard field goal | Cowboys 23–7 | |
| 3 | Cowboys | Tony Dorsett 9-yard run (Rafael Septien kick) | Cowboys 30–7 | |
| 4 | Cowboys | Victor Scott 26-yard interception return (Rafael Septien kick) | Cowboys 37–7 | |
| 4 | Redskins | Clint Didier 19-yard pass fromJoe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) | Cowboys 37–14 | |
| 4 | Cowboys | Dennis Thurman 21-yard interception return (Rafael Septien kick) | Cowboys 44–14 | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| •Redskins | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 1 | Redskins | Calvin Muhammad 17-yard pass fromJoe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) | Redskins 7–0 | |
| 1 | Redskins | George Rogers 31-yard run (kick failed) | Redskins 13–0 | |
| 2 | Redskins | Mark Moseley 34-yard field goal | Redskins 16–0 | |
| 2 | Oilers | Tony Zendejas 44-yard field goal | Redskins 16–3 | |
| 2 | Oilers | Drew Hill 2-yard pass fromWarren Moon (Tony Zendejas kick) | Redskins 16–10 | |
| 3 | Oilers | Tony Zendejas 35-yard field goal | Redskins 16–13 | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| • Giants | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| • Redskins | 7 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 23 |
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Dallas Cowboys(3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 7–5 | 357 | 333 | L1 |
| New York Giants(4) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 399 | 283 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 297 | 312 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–4 | 6–8 | 286 | 310 | W1 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–7 | 3–9 | 278 | 414 | L2 |
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| Franchise | |
| Stadiums | |
| Key personnel |
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| Culture and lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Retired numbers | |
| Hall of Famers | |
| League championships (5) | |
| Division championships (15) | |
| Wild Card playoff berths (10) | |
