The 1981 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's sixth season with the National Football League . The Seahawks get off to a terrible start losing six of their first seven games, on the way to a 6-10 season. Steve Largent would have a stellar season with 1,224 receiving yards. Seattle opened their season at Cincinnati , and held a 21-0 lead before the Bengals rallied for an improbable 27-21 win. This loss proved to be the beginning of the end for the Seahawks in 1981, as they would struggle as the season progressed.
Offseason
NFL Draft
Personnel
Staff
1981 Seattle Seahawks staff
Front office
Managing General Partner – Herman Sarkowsky
General Manager – John Thompson
Assistant General Manager – Mark Duncan
Director of Player Personnel – Dick Mansperger
Director of Pro Scouting – Chuck Allen
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
Head Trainer – Bruce Scott
Assistant Trainer – Jim Whitesel
Final roster
1981 Seattle Seahawks final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Rookies in italics
55 active, 0 inactive, 0 practice squad
[ 1]
Starters in bold.
(*) Denotes players that were selected for the 1982 Pro Bowl .
Schedule
Preseason
Source: Seahawks Media Guides [ 2] [ 3]
Regular season
By finishing in fifth place in 1980, Seattle plays the two NFC fifth-place finishers, the Giants and Packers, and two games against the other AFC fifth-place finisher, the Jets.
Week
Date
Kickoff
Opponent
Results
Game Site
Attendance
TV
Recap
Final score
Team record
1
September 6
12:00pm PDT
at Cincinnati Bengals
L 21–27
0–1
Riverfront Stadium
41,177
NBC
Recap
2
September 13
1:00pm PDT
Denver Broncos
W 13–10
1–1
Kingdome
58,513
NBC
Recap
3
September 20
1:00pm PDT
at Oakland Raiders
L 10–20
1–2
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
45,725
NBC
Recap
4
September 27
1:00pm PDT
Kansas City Chiefs
L 14–20
1–3
Kingdome
59,255
NBC
Recap
5
October 4
1:00pm PDT
at San Diego Chargers
L 10–24
1–4
Jack Murphy Stadium
51,463
NBC
Recap
6
October 11
11:00am PDT
at Houston Oilers
L 17–35
1–5
Houston Astrodome
42,671
NBC
Recap
7
October 18
1:00pm PDT
New York Giants
L 0–32
1–6
Kingdome
56,134
CBS
Recap
8
October 25
1:00pm PST
at New York Jets
W 19–3
2–6
Shea Stadium
49,678
NBC
Recap
9
November 1
11:00am PST
at Green Bay Packers
L 24–34
2–7
Lambeau Field
49,467
NBC
Recap
10
November 8
1:00pm PST
Pittsburgh Steelers
W 24–21
3–7
Kingdome
59,058
NBC
Recap
11
6:00pm PST
San Diego Chargers
W 44–23
4–7
Kingdome
58,628
ABC
Recap
12
November 22
11:00am PST
at Kansas City Chiefs
L 13–40
4–8
Arrowhead Stadium
49,002
NBC
Recap
13
November 29
1:00pm PST
Oakland Raiders
L 31–32
4–9
Kingdome
57,147
NBC
Recap
14
December 6
1:00pm PST
New York Jets
W 27–23
5–9
Kingdome
53,105
NBC
Recap
15
December 13
1:00pm PST
at Denver Broncos
L 13–23
5–10
Mile High Stadium
74,527
NBC
Recap
16
December 20
1:00pm PST
Cleveland Browns
W 42–21
6–10
Kingdome
51,435
NBC
Recap
Bold indicates division opponents.
Source: 1981 NFL season results [ 4]
Standings
Game Summaries
Preseason
Week P1: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Preseason Week One: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 OT Total
49ers
7
7
3 7 3 27
Seahawks
7
3
0 14 0 24
at Kingdome , Seattle
Week P2: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Preseason Week Two: Seattle Seahawks vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Cardinals
6
7
7 10 30
Seahawks
0
7
7 7 21
at Kingdome , Seattle
Week P3: at San Francisco 49ers
Preseason Week Three: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Seahawks
17
0
0 0 17
49ers
7
0
7 10 24
at Candlestick Park , San Francisco
Date : Game time : 6:05pm local Game weather : cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C), wind NE 19 miles per hour (31 km/h)Game attendance : 37,563Referee : Bob McElwee TV : KIRO Gamebook
Week P4: vs. Baltimore Colts
Preseason Week Four: Seattle Seahawks vs. Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Colts
7
7
0 3 17
Seahawks
10
0
14 7 31
at Kingdome , Seattle
Regular Season
Week 1: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week One: Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Seahawks
21
0
0 0 21
Bengals
0
10
10 7 27
at Riverfront Stadium , Cincinnati , Ohio
Date : September 6Game time : 1:00pm local Game weather : partly cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C), 71% humidity, wind NE 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)Game attendance : 41,177Referee : Bob FredericTV : NBC Gamebook
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
CIN – Jim Breech 25-yard field goal, 10:44 (SEA 21–3)
CIN – Pete Johnson 3-yard run (Jim Breech kick), 0:57 (SEA 21–10)
Third quarter
CIN – Jim Breech 40-yard field goal, 11:32 (SEA 21–13)
CIN – Archie Griffin 3-yard run (Jim Breech kick), 2:52 (SEA 21–20)
Fourth quarter
CIN – Pete Johnson 2-yard run (Jim Breech kick), 5:04 (CIN 27–21)
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
SEA –230 – 60 – 290 – 4
CIN – 165 – 210 – 375 – 4
Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos
Week Two: Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Broncos
3
7
0 0 10
Seahawks
7
3
3 0 13
at Kingdome , Seattle
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
SEA – Efren Herrera 43-yard field goal, 2:39 (SEA 10–3)
DEN – Riley Odoms 11-yard pass from Craig Morton (Fred Steinfort kick), 1:06 (Tied 10–10)
Third quarter
SEA – Efren Herrera 22-yard field goal, 5:53 (SEA 13–10)
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
DEN – 142 – 110 – 252 – 2
SEA – 156 – 111 – 267 – 2
Week 3: at Oakland Raiders
Game information
Phil Stone and Gene Washington
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
SEA – 308 – 82 – 390 – 2
OAK – 242 – 190 – 432 – 3
Week 4: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week Four: Seattle Seahawks vs. Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Chiefs
7
13
0 0 20
Seahawks
0
7
7 0 14
at Kingdome , Seattle
Date : September 27Game time : 1:03pm local Game weather : indoorsGame attendance : 59,255Referee : Tom Dooley TV announcers (NBC ) : Phil Stone and Gene WashingtonGamebook
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
KC – Bill Kenney 1-yard run (Nick Lowery kick), 13:41 (KC 14–0)
KC – Nick Lowery 30-yard field goal, 6:40 (KC 17–0)
KC – Nick Lowery 38-yard field goal, 5:28 (KC 20–0)
SEA – Sam McCullum 11-yard pass from Jim Zorn (Efren Herrera kick), 1:58 (KC 20–7)
Third quarter
SEA – Sherman Smith 2-yard run (Efren Herrera kick), 11:01 (KC 20–14)
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
KC – Joe Delaney : 15 car, 45 yds
SEA – Jim Zorn: 4 car, 48 yds
Top receivers
Team – – – –
KC – 227 – 154 – 381 – 2
SEA – 277 – 82 – 359 – 1
Week 5: at San Diego Chargers
Week Five: Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Seahawks
0
7
0 3 10
Chargers
0
10
7 7 24
at Jack Murphy Stadium , San Diego
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
SD – Charlie Joiner 12-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 4:50 (SD 17–7)
Fourth quarter
SEA – Efren Herrera 11-yard field goal, 10:30 (SD 17–10)
SD – Charlie Joiner 11-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 3:56 (SD 24–10)
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
SEA – 200 – 92 – 292 – 1
SD – 272 – 99 – 371 – 2
Week 6: at Houston Oilers
Week Six: Seattle Seahawks at Houston Oilers – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Seahawks
10
0
0 7 17
Oilers
7
7
0 21 35
at Astrodome , Houston , Texas
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
HOU – Earl Campbell 1-yard run (Toni Fritsch kick), 1:16 (HOU 14–10)
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
HOU – Dave Casper 32-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Toni Fritsch kick), 14:54 (HOU 21–10)
HOU – Ken Burrough 24-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Toni Fritsch kick), 11:55 (HOU 28–10)
HOU – Earl Campbell 4-yard run (Toni Fritsch kick), 6:59 (HOU 35–10)
SEA – Steve Largent 31-yard pass from Sam Adkins (Efren Herrera kick), 5:18 (HOU 35–17)
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
SEA – 214 – 75 – 289 – 3
HOU – 156 – 216 – 372 – 1
Week 7: vs. New York Giants
Week Seven: Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Giants
3
10
13 6 32
Seahawks
0
0
0 0 0
at Kingdome , Seattle
Game information
First quarter
NYG – Joe Danelo 29-yard field goal, 9:23 (NYG 3–0)
Second quarter
NYG – Gary Shirk 6-yard pass from Phil Simms (Joe Danelo kick), 12:09 (NYG 10–0)
NYG – Joe Danelo 54-yard field goal, 4:30 (NYG 13–0)
Third quarter
NYG – Joe Danelo 21-yard field goal, 12:10 (NYG 16–0)
NYG – Joe Danelo 47-yard field goal, 5:39 (NYG 19–0)
NYG – Rob Carpenter 2-yard run (Joe Danelo kick), 3:5 (NYG 26–0)
Fourth quarter
NYG – Joe Danelo 31-yard field goal, 11:15 (NYG 29–0)
NYG – Joe Danelo 37-yard field goal, 0:16 (NYG 32–0)
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
NYG – 88 – 213 – 301 – 1
SEA – 98 – 29 – 127 – 4
Week 8: at New York Jets
Week Eight: Seattle Seahawks at New York Jets – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Seahawks
0
7
6 6 19
Jets
0
0
3 0 3
at Shea Stadium , New York
Date : October 25Game time : 4:01pm local Game weather : overcast, 55 °F (13 °C), 64% humidity, wind SE 17 miles per hour (27 km/h)Game attendance : 49,678Referee : Bob McElwee TV announcers (NBC ) : Charlie Jones and Len DawsonGamebook
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
SEA – Steve Largent 27-yard pass from Jim Zorn (PAT failed), 12:53 (SEA 13–0)
NYJ – Pat Leahy 34-yard field goal, 7:53 (SEA 13–3)
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
SEA – 163 – 217 – 380 – 1
NYJ – 101 – 118 – 219 – 4
Week 9: at Green Bay Packers
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
SEA – Dan Doornink 12-yard pass from Jim Zorn (Efren Herrera kick), 11:03 (SEA 14–7)
GB – David Whitehurst 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 5:19 (Tied 14–14)
GB – James Lofton 8-yard pass from David Whitehurst (Jan Stenerud kick), 4:18 (GB 21–14)
SEA – Dan Doornink 14-yard pass from Jim Zorn (Efren Herrera kick), 0:24 (Tied 21–21)
Third quarter
SEA – Efren Herrera 54-yard field goal, 5:54 (SEA 24–21)
GB – James Lofton 38-yard pass from David Whitehurst (Jan Stenerud kick), 1:02 (GB 28–24)
Fourth quarter
GB – Jan Stenerud 19-yard field goal, 1:58 (GB 31–24)
GB – Jan Stenerud 36-yard field goal, 0:45 (GB 34–24)
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
SEA – 102 – 119 – 221 – 3
GB – 195 – 182 – 337 – 3
Week 10: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week Ten: Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Steelers
7
14
0 0 21
Seahawks
3
7
0 14 24
at Kingdome , Seattle
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
SEA – Theotis Brown 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick), 13:13 (PIT 21–17)
SEA – Theotis Brown 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick), 9:04 (SEA 24–21)
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
PIT – 205 – 162 – 367 – 2
SEA – 260 – 96 – 356 – 1
Week 11: vs. San Diego Chargers
Week Eleven: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Chargers
7
10
0 6 23
Seahawks
0
24
14 6 44
at Kingdome , Seattle
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
SEA – Efren Herrera 25-yard field goal, 12:43 (SD 7–3)
SEA – Theotis Brown 2-yard run (Efren Herrera kick), 11:27 (SEA 10–7)
SEA – Sherman Smith 18-yard pass from Jim Zorn (Efren Herrera kick), 5:56 (SEA 17–7)
SD – Chuck Muncie 73-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 4:26 (SEA 17–14)
SEA – Theotis Brown 1-yard run (Efren Herrera kick), 0:57 (SEA 24–14)
SD – Rolf Benirschke 32-yard field goal, 0:03 (SEA 24–17)
Third quarter
SEA – Dan Doornink 80-yard pass from Jim Zorn (Efren Herrera kick), 5:46 (SEA 31–17)
SEA – Dan Doornink 3-yard run (Efren Herrera kick), 0:12 (SEA 38–17)
Fourth quarter
SEA – Efren Herrera 30-yard field goal, 13:05 (SEA 41–17)
SD – Charlie Joiner 19-yard pass from Dan Fouts (PAT failed), 11:39 (SEA 41–23)
SEA – Efren Herrera 23-yard field goal, 6:11 (SEA 44–23)
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
SD – 291 – 195 – 486 – 4
SEA – 212 – 156 – 368 – 0
Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week Twelve: Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Seahawks
3
3
7 0 13
Chiefs
3
17
7 13 40
at Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City, Missouri
Date : November 22Game time : 1:01pm local Game weather : clear, 53 °F (12 °C), 40% humidity, wind SE 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)Game attendance : 49,002Referee : Fred Silva TV : NBC Gamebook
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
KC – Nick Lowery 24-yard field goal, 11:16 (KC 6–3)
SEA – Efren Herrera 30-yard field goal, 2:51 (Tied 6–6)
KC – J.T. Smith 14-yard pass from Bill Kenney (Nick Lowery kick), 1:07 (KC 13–6)
KC – Lloyd Burruss 46-yard interception return (Nick Lowery kick), 0:31 (KC 20–6)
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
KC – Willie Scott 2-yard pass from Bill Kenney (Nick Lowery kick), 14:57 (KC 33–13)
KC – Billy Jackson 2-yard run (Nick Lowery kick), 9:36 (KC 40–13)
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
SEA – 256 – 83 – 339 – 2
KC – 181 – 269 – 450 – 0
Week 13: vs. Oakland Raiders
Week Thirteen: Seattle Seahawks vs. Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Raiders
0
3
8 21 32
Seahawks
0
10
14 7 31
at Kingdome , Seattle
Date : November 29Game time : 1:02pm local Game weather : indoorsGame attendance : 57,147Referee : Gordon McCarter TV announcers (NBC ) : Jay Randolph and Gene WashingtonGamebook
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
SEA – Efren Herrera 22-yard field goal, 12:38 (SEA 3–0)
OAK – Chris Bahr 20-yard field goal, 8:26 (Tied 3–3)
SEA – Jim Zorn 3-yard run (Efren Herrera kick), 5:44 (SEA 10–3)
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
OAK – 156 – 181 – 337 – 4
SEA – 314 – 69 – 383 – 1
Week 14: vs. New York Jets
Week Fourteen: Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Jets – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Jets
0
9
7 7 23
Seahawks
6
7
7 7 27
at Kingdome , Seattle
Date : December 6Game time : 1:02pm local Game weather : indoorsGame attendance : 53,105Referee : Gene Barth TV announcers (NBC ) : Bob Costas and Bob TrumpyGamebook
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
NYJ – Scott Dierking 15-yard run (Pat Leahy kick), 13:19 (NYJ 16–13)
SEA – Dave Krieg 1-yard run (Wilson Álvarez kick), 1:04 (SEA 20–16)
Fourth quarter
NYJ – Kevin Long 1-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick), 9:21 (NYJ 23–20)
SEA – Steve Largent 57-yard pass from Dave Krieg (Wilson Álvarez kick), 8:21 (SEA 27–23)
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
NYJ – 276 – 119 – 395 – 3
SEA – 256 – 127 – 383 – 4
Week 15: at Denver Broncos
Week Fifteen: Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Seahawks
0
3
3 7 13
Broncos
7
3
6 7 23
at Mile High Stadium , Denver , Colorado
Date : December 13Game time : 2:00pm local Game weather : partly cloudy, 45 °F (7 °C), 42% humidity, wind NE 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)Game attendance : 74,527Referee : Fred Wyant TV announcers (NBC ) : Jay Randolph and Jim TurnerGamebook
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
SEA – Wilson Álvarez 28-yard field goal, 8:06 (DEN 7–3)
DEN – Fred Steinfort 33-yard field goal, 0:00 (DEN 10–3)
Third quarter
DEN – Fred Steinfort 43-yard field goal, 11:28 (DEN 13–3)
DEN – Fred Steinfort 24-yard field goal, 8:13 (DEN 16–3)
SEA – Wilson Álvarez 20-yard field goal, 1:58 (DEN 16–6)
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
SEA – 199 – 86 – 285 – 5
DEN – 136 – 237 – 373 – 3
Week 16: vs. Cleveland Browns
Week Sixteen: Seattle Seahawks vs. Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Browns
0
7
7 7 21
Seahawks
14
14
14 0 42
at Kingdome , Seattle
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
SEA – Paul Johns 10-yard pass from Dave Krieg (Wilson Álvarez kick), 8:26 (SEA 35–7)
SEA – Steve Largent 14-yard pass from Dave Krieg (Wilson Álvarez kick), 7:25 (SEA 42–7)
CLE – Dave Logan 16-yard pass from Paul McDonald (Matt Bahr kick), 5:36 (SEA 42–14)
Fourth quarter
CLE – Calvin Hill 8-yard pass from Paul McDonald (Matt Bahr kick), 10:02 (SEA 42–21)
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – – – –
CLE – 301 – 151 – 452 – 10
SEA – 182 – 110 – 292 – 5
References
External links
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Division championships (11) Conference championships (3) League championships (1) Retired numbers Affiliations