1981 Washington Redskins season

1981 Washington Redskins season
Head coach	Joe Gibbs
Home field	RFK Stadium
Results
Record	8-8
Division place	4th NFC East
Playoff finish	did not qualify
Timeline
Previous season      Next season < 1980      1982 >

The 1981 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 6-10 record from 1980. The team posted an 8–8 record, but missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. This was Joe Gibbs' first season as Head Coach.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1981 NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	School/Club Team

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 6, 1981	Dallas Cowboys	L 26-10	55,045
2	September 13, 1981	New York Giants	L 17-7	53,343
3	September 20, 1981	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 40-30	47,592
4	September 27, 1981	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 36-13	70,664
5	October 4, 1981	San Francisco 49ers	L 30-17	51,843
6	October 11, 1981	at Chicago Bears	W 24-7	57,683
7	October 18, 1981	at Miami Dolphins	L 13-10	47,367
8	October 25, 1981	New England Patriots	W 24-22	50,394
9	November 1, 1981	St. Louis Cardinals	W 42-21	50,643
10	November 8, 1981	Detroit Lions	W 33-31	52,096
11	November 15, 1981	at New York Giants	W 30-27	63,133
12	November 22, 1981	at Dallas Cowboys	L 24-10	64,587
13	November 29, 1981	at Buffalo Bills	L 21-14	59,624
14	December 6, 1981	Philadelphia Eagles	W 15-13	52,206
15	December 13, 1981	Baltimore Colts	W 38-14	46,706
16	December 20, 1981	at Los Angeles Rams	W 30-7	52,224

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA
Dallas Cowboys(2)	12	4	0	.750	6–2	8–4	367	277
Philadelphia Eagles(4)	10	6	0	.625	4–4	7–5	368	221
New York Giants(5)	9	7	0	.563	5–3	8–6	295	257
Washington Redskins	8	8	0	.500	3–5	6–6	347	349
St. Louis Cardinals	7	9	0	.438	2–6	4–8	315	408