1981 Baltimore Colts season


The 1981 Baltimore Colts season was the 29th season for the team in the National Football League. The Colts finished the NFL's 1981 season with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses, and tied for fourth in the AFC East division with the New England Patriots. However, the Colts finished ahead of New England in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep. The victories over New England occurred on the first and last games of the season; Baltimore lost 14 games in between victories. They also won the two games by a combined 3 points, winning 29–28 the first time, and 23–21 the second time.
The Colts’ defense had one of the worst seasons in NFL history, setting records for points and yards allowed. The Colts gave up more than twice as many points as they scored. 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 is the second-worst since the 1970 merger, second only to the 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished 0–14. 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. The Colts allowed 40 points in 4 separate games during the season, 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:

Offseason

NFL draft

Personnel

Staff

Roster

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame SiteAttendance
1September 6, 1981at New England PatriotsW 29–281–0Schaefer Stadium
49,572
2September 13, 1981Buffalo BillsL 3–351-1-0Memorial Stadium
45,772
3September 20, 1981at Denver BroncosL 10–281-2-0Mile High Stadium
74,804
4September 27, 1981Miami DolphinsL 28-311-3-0Memorial Stadium
41,630
5October 4, 1981at Buffalo BillsL 17–231-4-0Rich Stadium
77,811
6October 11, 1981Cincinnati BengalsL 19–411-5-0Memorial Stadium
33,060
7October 18, 1981San Diego ChargersL 14–431-6-0Memorial Stadium
41,921
8October 25, 1981at Cleveland BrownsL 28–421-7-0Cleveland Stadium
78,986
9November 1, 1981at Miami DolphinsL 10–271-8-0Orange Bowl
46,061
10November 8, 1981New York JetsL 14–411-9-0Memorial Stadium
31,521
11November 15, 1981at Philadelphia EaglesL 13–381-10-0Veterans Stadium
68,618
12November 22, 1981St. Louis CardinalsL 24–351-11-0Memorial Stadium
24,784
13November 29, 1981at New York JetsL 0–251-12-0Shea Stadium
53,593
14December 6, 1981Dallas CowboysL 13–371-13-0Memorial Stadium
54,871
15December 13, 1981at Washington RedskinsL 14-381-14-0RFK Stadium
46,706
16December 20, 1981New England PatriotsW 23–212-14-0Memorial Stadium
17,073

Standings

Records set