A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 1981 Buffalo Bills season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Ralph Wilson |
| Head coach | Chuck Knox |
| Home field | Rich Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Jets) 31–27 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Bengals) 21–28 |
| Pro Bowlers | RB Joe Cribbs WR Frank Lewis DT Fred Smerlas |
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The 1981 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League, and the 22nd overall.
The season's most memorable moment was probably a Hail Mary catch against the New England Patriots in Week Twelve.[1] The 36-yard touchdown pass from Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson to running back Roland Hooks as time expired won the game for Buffalo, 20–17.[2] The win proved to be crucial in giving Buffalo the final playoff spot in the AFC in 1981.[3] The Bills qualified for the playoffs, but lost, 28-21, to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Offseason
The Bills were coming off of their first division title since 1966, and their first since the merger. Coach Chuck Knox's Bills, in his fourth season with the team, were considered a contender in the AFC.
In their 1981 NFL preview, Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman wrote, "A word of advice: Go to Vegas and take the price on Buffalo to go all the way. The odds are right. Just look at how close the Bills came last year. ... The Bills are a hungry team, on the rise. They'll have to stay almost injury-free, though, because they're in big trouble if one of the big boys goes down, i.e., Ferguson, Nose Guard Freddy Smerlas, Wide Receiver Jerry Butler or Halfback Joe Cribbs, who handled the ball more times (389) than any back in the NFL, counting passes caught and punt and kick returns as well as his rushes."[4]
NFL draft
Running back Robb Riddick played eight seasons for the Bills; he started eight games and ran for 632 total yards in 1986, and he became a short-yardage specialist in 1988
Said Zimmerman about the team's first pick, "(Coach Chuck) Knox is a ball control coach, and he's been desperately trying to juice up the fullback position, to take some heat off the 190-pound Cribbs. But No. 1 draft choice Booker Moore from Penn State came down with a nerve disorder called Guillain–Barré syndrome."[4]
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Booker Moore | RB | Penn State | |
| 2 | 49 | Chris Williams | DB | LSU | |
| 50 | Byron Franklin | WR | Auburn | ||
| 3 | 76 | Mike Mosley | WR | Texas A&M | |
| 84 | Robert Geathers | DT | South Carolina State | ||
| 5 | 135 | Calvin Clark | DE | Purdue | |
| 6 | 161 | Robert Holt | WR | Baylor | |
| 7 | 188 | Steve Doolittle | LB | Colorado | |
| 9 | 241 | Robb Riddick | RB | Millersville (PA) | |
| 10 | 272 | Justin Cross | OT | Western Colorado | |
| 11 | 299 | Buster Barnett | TE | Jackson State | |
| 12 | 326 | Keith Clark | LB | Memphis State |
Personnel
Staff/coaches
| 1981 Buffalo Bills staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Coaching staff
Offensive coaches
Defensive/special teams coaches
Special assignments'
| ||||||
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6 | New York Jets | W 31–0 | 1–0 | Rich Stadium | 79,754 | |
| 2 | September 13 | at Baltimore Colts | W 35–3 | 2–0 | Memorial Stadium | 45,772 | |
| 3 | September 17 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–20 | 2–1 | Rich Stadium | 78,331 | |
| 4 | September 27 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 24–27 | 2–2 | Riverfront Stadium | 46,418 | |
| 5 | October 4 | Baltimore Colts | W 23–17 | 3–2 | Rich Stadium | 77,811 | |
| 6 | October 12 | Miami Dolphins | W 31–21 | 4–2 | Rich Stadium | 78,576 | |
| 7 | October 18 | at New York Jets | L 14–33 | 4–3 | Shea Stadium | 54,607 | |
| 8 | October 25 | Denver Broncos | W 9–7 | 5–3 | Rich Stadium | 77,757 | |
| 9 | November 1 | Cleveland Browns | W 22–13 | 6–3 | Rich Stadium | 78,266 | |
| 10 | November 9 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 14–27 | 6–4 | Texas Stadium | 62,583 | |
| 11 | November 15 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 0–24 | 6–5 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 46,214 | |
| 12 | November 22 | New England Patriots | W 20–17 | 7–5 | Rich Stadium | 71,593 | |
| 13 | November 29 | Washington Redskins | W 21–14 | 8–5 | Rich Stadium | 59,624 | |
| 14 | December 6 | at San Diego Chargers | W 28–27 | 9–5 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 51,488 | |
| 15 | December 13 | at New England Patriots | W 19–10 | 10–5 | Shaefer Stadium | 42,549 | |
| 16 | December 19 | at Miami Dolphins | L 6–16 | 10–6 | Miami Orange Bowl | 72,596 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||