1981 Buffalo Bills season
Encyclopedia
The 1981
Buffalo Bills
season was the 22nd season for the club and its 12th in the National Football League
.
, where the Jets were playing in their first playoff game since the 1970 merger. In a cold rain the Jets got off to a poor start as Bruce Harper
fumbled the opening kickoff at his 25 and Charles Romes
ran back the fumble for a touchdown. The Bills raced to a 24–0 lead in the second quarter as Frank Lewis caught two Joe Ferguson
passes for touchdowns; the first was a pass from the Bills 40 yard line caught by Lewis at the Jets 32 and run in, then Joe Cribbs
caught a 50-yarder, setting up Lewis' second catch; later Rufus Bess
picked off Richard Todd and ran back 49 yards, setting up a field goal. But in the second the Jets began clawing back as Mickey Shuler
caught a 30-yard touchdown in traffic (it was Shuler's first catch of the entire 1981 season) from Todd and following a Greg Buttle
interception of Ferguson Pat Leahy booted a 26-yard field goal. A 19-yarder from Leahy was the only score in the third, then early in the fourth Ferguson was picked off by Donald Dykes
, but Todd was intercepted by Bill Simpson
. Following the Simpson pick Ferguson was intercepted again, by Jerry Holmes
, but the Bills defense forced a mediocre punt by Chuck Ramsey caught at the 50. Three plays later Joe Cribbs
caught a toss-sweep and ran in a 45-yard touchdown for Buffalo. But the Jets refused to give in; Todd tossed a 30-yard score to Bobby Jones
and later Kevin Long ran in a 1-yard score. The Jets got the ball back in the final minutes, but a sack by Fred Smerlas
led to a last-ditch Todd drive to the endzone; after completions to Gaffney and Scott Dierking
Todd fired from the Bills 11 for the endzone but was picked off by Bill Simpson
, ending a 31–27 Bills playoff win, only the third in the team's history and first since winning back-to-back AFL
titles in the 1964 and '65 seasons.
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
season was the 22nd season for the club and its 12th in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
NFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6, 1981 | New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 31–0 | |
| 2 | September 13, 1981 | at Baltimore Colts | W 35–3 | |
| 3 | September 17, 1981 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 20–14 | |
| 4 | September 27, 1981 | at Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL... |
L 27–24 | |
| 5 | October 4, 1981 | Baltimore Colts | W 23–17 | |
| 6 | October 12, 1981 | Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 31–21 | |
| 7 | October 18, 1981 | at New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 33–14 | |
| 8 | October 25, 1981 | Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 9–7 | |
| 9 | November 1, 1981 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 22–13 | |
| 10 | November 9, 1981 | at Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... |
L 27–14 | |
| 11 | November 15, 1981 | at St. Louis Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 24–0 | |
| 12 | November 22, 1981 | New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
W 20–17 | |
| 13 | November 29, 1981 | Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 21–14 | |
| 14 | December 6, 1981 | San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 28–27 | |
| 15 | December 13, 1981 | at New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
W 19–10 | |
| 16 | December 19, 1981 | at Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 16–6 | |
Standings
| AFC East AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets... |
||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins 1981 Miami Dolphins season -NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Playoffs:- Standings :-Notes and references:**... |
11 | 4 | 1 | .719 | 345 | 275 |
| New York Jets 1981 New York Jets season The 1981 New York Jets season was the 22nd season for the team and the 12th in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 4–12 record from 1980 under head coach Walt Michaels... |
10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 355 | 287 |
| Buffalo Bills | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 311 | 276 |
| Baltimore Colts 1981 Baltimore Colts season The 1981 Baltimore Colts season was the 29th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1981 season with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses, and finished tied for fourth in the AFC East division with the New England Patriots... |
2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 259 | 533 |
| New England Patriots 1981 New England Patriots season The New England Patriots finished the National Football League's 1981 season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses, and finished tied for last in the AFC East division.-Staff:-Schedule:- Standings :-Roster:... |
2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 322 | 370 |
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcard | December 27, 1981 | at New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 31–27 | |
| Divisional | January 3, 1982 | at Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL... |
L 28–21 | |
AFC Wild Card
The Bills traveled to Shea StadiumShea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
, where the Jets were playing in their first playoff game since the 1970 merger. In a cold rain the Jets got off to a poor start as Bruce Harper
Bruce Harper
Bruce Harper was an American football running back and kick returner for the New York Jets of the NFL. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Kutztown by the Jets in 1977. Bruce Harper is the all-time kick returner in New York Jets history with 5407 yards in kickoff returns...
fumbled the opening kickoff at his 25 and Charles Romes
Charles Romes
Charles Michael Romes was an American football cornerback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers. He played college football at North Carolina Central University....
ran back the fumble for a touchdown. The Bills raced to a 24–0 lead in the second quarter as Frank Lewis caught two Joe Ferguson
Joe Ferguson
Joseph Carlton Ferguson, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the NFL. Ferguson played college football at the University of Arkansas, where he still holds the school's single game record for most completions and in that same season was named the Southwest Conference's Offensive...
passes for touchdowns; the first was a pass from the Bills 40 yard line caught by Lewis at the Jets 32 and run in, then Joe Cribbs
Joe Cribbs
Joe Stanier Cribbs is a retired National Football League and United States Football League football running back. He played collegiately at Auburn University along with future NFL backs William Andrews and James Brooks...
caught a 50-yarder, setting up Lewis' second catch; later Rufus Bess
Rufus Bess
Rufus T. Bess, Jr. is a former professional American football cornerback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at South Carolina State University.He worked at North Community High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota as a Football...
picked off Richard Todd and ran back 49 yards, setting up a field goal. But in the second the Jets began clawing back as Mickey Shuler
Mickey Shuler
Mickey Charles Shuler Sr. , is a former professional American football tight end from 1978 to 1991. He played in 181 games over 14 seasons in the National Football League for the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles...
caught a 30-yard touchdown in traffic (it was Shuler's first catch of the entire 1981 season) from Todd and following a Greg Buttle
Greg Buttle
Gregory Ellis Buttle is a retired American football linebacker for the New York Jets. He played college football at Penn State University. He was named a Consensus All-American in 1975. In 2005, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.-High school:Buttle grew up in Linwood, New...
interception of Ferguson Pat Leahy booted a 26-yard field goal. A 19-yarder from Leahy was the only score in the third, then early in the fourth Ferguson was picked off by Donald Dykes
Donald Dykes
Donald Ray Dykes is a former professional American football player who played cornerback for four seasons for the New York Jets and San Diego Chargers. He also played in the United States Football League. He is currently an assistant football coach at the University of Arkansas in...
, but Todd was intercepted by Bill Simpson
Bill Simpson
Bill Simpson , is a retired American racecar driver, but is best known as a pioneer in the racing safety business with his company Simpson Performance Products. He left Simpson Performance in a controversy surrounding Dale Earnhardt's death and started Impact! Racing...
. Following the Simpson pick Ferguson was intercepted again, by Jerry Holmes
Jerry Holmes
Jerry Holmes is an American football coach and former defensive back. He played ten seasons in the National Football League, mainly for New York Jets but also with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. He also played in the USFL for the New Jersey Generals and the Pittsburgh Maulers...
, but the Bills defense forced a mediocre punt by Chuck Ramsey caught at the 50. Three plays later Joe Cribbs
Joe Cribbs
Joe Stanier Cribbs is a retired National Football League and United States Football League football running back. He played collegiately at Auburn University along with future NFL backs William Andrews and James Brooks...
caught a toss-sweep and ran in a 45-yard touchdown for Buffalo. But the Jets refused to give in; Todd tossed a 30-yard score to Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (American football)
Robert Irven "Bobby" Jones is a former guard in the National Football League.-Career:Jones played with the Green Bay Packers during the 1934 NFL season. He played at the collegiate level at Indiana University.-References:...
and later Kevin Long ran in a 1-yard score. The Jets got the ball back in the final minutes, but a sack by Fred Smerlas
Fred Smerlas
Frederic Charles Smerlas is a former American football defensive lineman who was a 5-time NFL Pro Bowl selection during 14-year career as a nose tackle with the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and New England Patriots.Smerlas, of Greek-American descent, graduated from Waltham High School in...
led to a last-ditch Todd drive to the endzone; after completions to Gaffney and Scott Dierking
Scott Dierking
Scott Dierking was a running back in the NFL. He played for the New York Jets from 1977-1983. Before his NFL career, he played for Purdue University....
Todd fired from the Bills 11 for the endzone but was picked off by Bill Simpson
Bill Simpson
Bill Simpson , is a retired American racecar driver, but is best known as a pioneer in the racing safety business with his company Simpson Performance Products. He left Simpson Performance in a controversy surrounding Dale Earnhardt's death and started Impact! Racing...
, ending a 31–27 Bills playoff win, only the third in the team's history and first since winning back-to-back AFL
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
titles in the 1964 and '65 seasons.