1981 Minnesota Vikings season
Encyclopedia
1981
was the 21st year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings
and the 62nd regular season of the National Football League
, and the final season for the team at Metropolitan Stadium
. The Vikings finished with a record of seven wins and nine losses.
After opening the season with back-to-back losses, the Vikings ran off five straight wins and sat near the top of the NFC at midseason. After splitting their next four games, the Vikings were 7-4 and poised for a playoff run—however, the Vikings would lose their last five games to close out the year.
The Vikings were led by quarterback Tommy Kramer, who enjoyed the most productive season of his career by throwing for 3,912 yards and 26 TD's. However, Kramer also threw 24 interceptions in 1981.
A trio of offensive standouts paced the Vikings in 1981 at the skill positions. Running back Ted Brown was the team's main ballcarrier, rushing for 1,063 yards and also came in third in the NFL with 83 pass receptions. He scored eight TD's. Veteran WR Sammy White also eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career (1,001) and TE Joe Senser, who would later become a color analyst on radio for the Vikings, logged 1,004 yards receiving with eight TD's. He went to the Pro Bowl that season as well.
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
was the 21st year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
and the 62nd regular season of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and the final season for the team at Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was a sports stadium that once stood in Bloomington, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The area where the stadium once stood is now the site of the Mall of America...
. The Vikings finished with a record of seven wins and nine losses.
After opening the season with back-to-back losses, the Vikings ran off five straight wins and sat near the top of the NFC at midseason. After splitting their next four games, the Vikings were 7-4 and poised for a playoff run—however, the Vikings would lose their last five games to close out the year.
The Vikings were led by quarterback Tommy Kramer, who enjoyed the most productive season of his career by throwing for 3,912 yards and 26 TD's. However, Kramer also threw 24 interceptions in 1981.
A trio of offensive standouts paced the Vikings in 1981 at the skill positions. Running back Ted Brown was the team's main ballcarrier, rushing for 1,063 yards and also came in third in the NFL with 83 pass receptions. He scored eight TD's. Veteran WR Sammy White also eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career (1,001) and TE Joe Senser, who would later become a color analyst on radio for the Vikings, logged 1,004 yards receiving with eight TD's. He went to the Pro Bowl that season as well.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 5, 1981 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
L 21-13 | |
| 2 | September 14, 1981 | Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 36-10 | |
| 3 | September 20, 1981 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
W 26-24 | |
| 4 | September 27, 1981 | at Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... (Milw) |
W 30-13 | |
| 5 | October 4, 1981 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 24-21 | |
| 6 | October 11, 1981 | at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 33-31 | |
| 7 | October 18, 1981 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 35-23 | |
| 8 | October 25, 1981 | at St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 30-17 | |
| 9 | November 2, 1981 | at Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 19-17 | |
| 10 | November 8, 1981 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
W 25-10 | |
| 11 | November 15, 1981 | New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
W 20-10 | |
| 12 | November 23, 1981 | at Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 31-30 | |
| 13 | November 29, 1981 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
L 35-23 | |
| 14 | December 6, 1981 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 10-9 | |
| 15 | December 12, 1981 | at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
L 45-7 | |
| 16 | December 20, 1981 | Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
L 10-6 | |
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on an 5-10-1 season. The team was considered to be superior to the 1979 team that finished the season one game shy of the Super Bowl. With the running game and special teams ineffective, the Buccaneers depended heavily on... |
9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 315 | 268 | W-1 |
| Detroit Lions 1981 Detroit Lions season The 1981 Detroit Lions season was their 52nd in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 9-7, winning only eight games. The team missed the playoffs for the eleventh straight season.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:... |
8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 397 | 322 | L-1 |
| Green Bay Packers 1981 Green Bay Packers season The 1981 Green Bay Packers season was their 61st season in the National Football League. The club posted a 8–8 record under coach Bart Starr, earning them a third-place finish in the NFC Central division.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:... |
8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 324 | 361 | L-1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 325 | 369 | L-5 |
| Chicago Bears 1981 Chicago Bears season The 1981 Chicago Bears season was their 62nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 6-10 record under fourth year coach Neill Armstrong, who was fired at the end of the season.-Schedule:-Standings:- External links :... |
6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 253 | 324 | W-3 |