The 1981 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 14th year in professional football and its 12th with the National Football League. The team won their first AFC Championship, but lost Super Bowl XVI to San Francisco.
Cincinnati had at least a share of the AFC Central lead the entire season. On December 13, quarterback Ken Anderson threw two touchdown passes as the Bengals clinched the division with a 17–10 win over the Steelers.
Ken Anderson led the NFL in passing in 1981 with a 98.5 rating.
On Jan. 3, the Bengals beat Buffalo, 28–21, in an AFC Divisional Playoff game. A week later, playing in their first AFC Championship Game, the Bengals defeated San Diego, 27–7, at Riverfront Stadium in a temperature of nine degrees below zero with a wind-chill factor of minus-59.
In Super Bowl XVI on Jan. 24 in Pontiac, Mich., the Bengals trailed 20–0 at halftime and lost to San Francisco, 26–21.
Offseason [edit]
Before the season, the Bengals unveiled new uniforms with tiger-striped helmets, jerseys and pants.
NFL Draft [edit]
Regular season [edit]
Schedule [edit]
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Attendance |
| 1 |
September 6, 1981 |
Seattle Seahawks |
W 27–21 |
41,177
|
| 2 |
September 13, 1981 |
at New York Jets |
W 31–30 |
49,454
|
| 3 |
September 20, 1981 |
Cleveland Browns |
L 20–17 |
52,170
|
| 4 |
September 27, 1981 |
Buffalo Bills |
W 27–24 |
46,418
|
| 5 |
October 4, 1981 |
at Houston Oilers |
L 17–10 |
44,350
|
| 6 |
October 11, 1981 |
at Baltimore Colts |
W 41–19 |
33,060
|
| 7 |
October 18, 1981 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
W 34–7 |
57,090
|
| 8 |
October 25, 1981 |
at New Orleans Saints |
L 17–7 |
46,336
|
| 9 |
November 1, 1981 |
Houston Oilers |
W 34–21 |
54,736
|
| 10 |
November 8, 1981 |
at San Diego Chargers |
W 40–17 |
51,259
|
| 11 |
November 15, 1981 |
Los Angeles Rams |
W 24–10 |
56,836
|
| 12 |
November 22, 1981 |
Denver Broncos |
W 38–21 |
57,207
|
| 13 |
November 29, 1981 |
at Cleveland Browns |
W 41–21 |
75,186
|
| 14 |
December 6, 1981 |
San Francisco 49ers |
L 21–3 |
56,796
|
| 15 |
December 13, 1981 |
at Pittsburgh Steelers |
W 17–10 |
50,623
|
| 16 |
December 20, 1981 |
at Atlanta Falcons |
W 30–28 |
35,972
|
Game summaries [edit]
Week 13: at Cleveland Browns [edit]
| Game information |
- First Quarter
- Second Quarter
- CIN - Cris Collinsworth 7 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick) - Bengals 21-0
- CLE - Ricky Feacher 30 yard pass from Brian Sipe (Matt Bahr kick) - Bengals 21-7
- CIN - M.L. Harris 2 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick) - Bengals 28-7
- Fourth Quarter
- CLE - Mike Pruitt 1 yard run (Matt Bahr kick) - Bengals 28-14
- CIN - Pete Johnson 11 yard run (Jim Breech kick) - Bengals 35-14
- CIN - Pete Johnson 1 yard run (Jim Breech kick) - Bengals 42-14
- CLE - Greg Pruitt 7 yard pass from Paul McDonald (Matt Bahr kick) - Bengals 42-21
|
- Bengals
- Ken Anderson
26/32, 235 Yds, 4 TD
- Pete Johnson
21 Rush, 105 Yds, 2 TD
- Cris Collinsworth
5 Rec, 76 Yds, 2 TD
- Browns
- Brian Sipe
19/28, 217 Yds, TD
- Mike Pruitt
21 Rush, 83 Yds, TD
- Ricky Feacher
3 Rec, 98 Yds, TD
|
|
|
Playoffs [edit]
Standings [edit]
Roster [edit]
Cincinnati Bengals roster
|
| Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Playoffs [edit]
AFC Divisional Playoff [edit]
- January 3 Buffalo W 28–21 55,420 Riverfront
AFC Championship Game [edit]
Super Bowl [edit]
- Super Bowl XVI January 24 San Francisco L 21–26 81,270 Pontiac Silverdome
Awards and records [edit]
- Ken Anderson, NFL MVP [1]
- Ken Anderson, Bert Bell Award[2]
- Ken Anderson, Franchise Record (since broken), Touchdown Passes, 29 Passes [3]
- Ken Anderson, Led NFL, Passer Rating, 98.4 Rating [4]
Milestones [edit]
- Ken Anderson, Franchise Record (since broken), Most Touchdown Passes in One Season, 29 Passes [3]
- Cris Collinsworth, 1st 1,000 Yard Receiving Season (1,009 yards) [5]
- Pete Johnson, 1,000 Yard Rushing Season (1,077 yards) [6]
References [edit]
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 400
- ^ http://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/content/awards/bell/past_bell.htm
- ^ a b NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 37
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 447
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 442
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 437
External links [edit]
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The Franchise |
|
|
| Stadiums |
|
|
| Rivalries |
|
|
| Culture and Lore |
|
|
| Head Coaches |
|
|
| Division Championships (7) |
|
|
| Super Bowl Appearances (2) |
|
|
| Retired Numbers |
|
|
| Current League Affiliations |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1960s |
|
|
| 1970s |
|
|
| 1980s |
|
|
| 1990s |
|
|
| 2000s |
|
|
| 2010s |
|
|
|
