1986 Washington Redskins season

1986 Washington Redskins season
Head coach	Joe Gibbs
Home field	RFK Stadium
Results
Record	12-4
Division place	2nd NFC East
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (Rams) 19-7 Won Divisional Playoffs (Bears) 27-13 Lost Conference Championship (Giants) 17-0
Timeline
Previous season      Next season < 1985      1987 >

The 1986 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 10-6 record from 1985 and return to the playoffs after missing them the previous year. The Redskins finished with a 12-4 record, good for second place in the NFC East, and qualified for the playoffs as a wild card. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card Game at RFK Stadium, then upset the defending champion Chicago Bears in the Divisional Playoffs. The season came to an end in the NFC Championship Game when the Redskins were defeated by their division rivals, the New York Giants.

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 7, 1986	Philadelphia Eagles	W 41-14	53,982
2	September 14, 1986	Los Angeles Raiders	W 10-6	55,235
3	September 21, 1986	at San Diego Chargers	W 30-27	57,853
4	September 28, 1986	Seattle Seahawks	W 19-14	54,157
5	October 5, 1986	at New Orleans Saints	W 14-6	57,378
6	October 12, 1986	at Dallas Cowboys	L 30-6	63,264
7	October 19, 1986	St. Louis Cardinals	W 28-21	53,494
8	October 27, 1986	at New York Giants	L 27-20	75,923
9	November 2, 1986	Minnesota Vikings	W 44-38	51,928
10	November 9, 1986	at Green Bay Packers	W 16-7	47,728
11	November 17, 1986	San Francisco 49ers	W 14-6	54,774
12	November 23, 1986	Dallas Cowboys	W 41-14	55,642
13	November 30, 1986	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 20-17	35,637
14	December 7, 1986	New York Giants	L 24-14	55,642
15	December 13, 1986	at Denver Broncos	L 31-30	75,905
16	December 21, 1986	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 21-14	61,816

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA
New York Giants(1)	14	2	0	.875	7–1	11–1	371	236
Washington Redskins(4)	12	4	0	.750	5–3	9–3	368	296
Dallas Cowboys	7	9	0	.438	5–3	6–6	346	337
Philadelphia Eagles	5	10	1	.344	1–6–1	3–8–1	256	312
St. Louis Cardinals	4	11	1	.281	1–6–1	3–10–1	218	351

Playoffs

NFC Wild Card Game

Washington Redskins 19, Los Angeles Rams 7 1 2 3 4 Total Rams 0 0 0 7 7 Redskins 10 3 3 3 19 at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 54,180 Referee: Gordon McCarter TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

NFC Divisional Playoff

Washington Redskins 27, Chicago Bears 13 1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 7 0 7 13 27 Bears 0 13 0 0 13 at Soldier Field, Chicago Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST Game attendance: 65,141 Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Dierdorf

NFC Championship Game

New York Giants 17, Washington Redskins 0 1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 0 0 0 0 0 Giants 10 7 0 0 17 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 76,633 Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden