1981 Buffalo Bills season

22nd season in franchise history November 2013 March 2026 Buffalo Bills 1981 10–6 3rd AFC East Chuck Knox Ray Prochaska Tom Catlin Ralph Wilson Rich Stadium Won Wild Card Playoffs(at Jets) 31–27Lost Divisional Playoffs(at Bengals) 21–28 RB Joe CribbsWR Frank LewisDT Fred Smerlas Bills seasons thumb|right|Bills' running back Joe Cribbs (middle) rushes the ball against the Jets in the 1981 AFC wild card game. The 1981 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League, and the 22nd overall. The season's most memorable moment was probably a Hail Mary catch against the New England Patriots in Week Twelve.NFL.com: Hooks' Hail Mary catch video The 36-yard touchdown pass from Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson to running back Roland Hooks as time expired won the game for Buffalo, 20–17.Buffalo Rumblings: Best Moments in Bills History, No. 21: Roland Hooks' Hail Mary Catch The win proved to be crucial in giving Buffalo the final playoff spot in the AFC in 1981.Had the Bills lost the game, the last wild card spot would have gone to 10–6 Denver, whom the Bills beat out for the spot by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker. The Bills qualified for the playoffs defeating their division rival New York Jets, 31–27 in the Wild Card game (their first postseason victory since 1965). The Bills would go on to lose, 28–21, to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional playoffs. Offseason The Bills were coming off of their first division title since 1966, and their first since the merger. Coach Chuck Knox's Bills, in his fourth season with the team, were considered a contender in the AFC. In their 1981 NFL preview, Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman wrote, "A word of advice: Go to Vegas and take the price on Buffalo to go all the way. The odds are right. Just look at how close the Bills came last year. ... The Bills are a hungry team, on the rise. They'll have to stay almost injury-free, though, because they're in big trouble if one of the big boys goes down, (Joe) Ferguson, Nose Guard Freddy Smerlas, Wide Receiver Jerry Butler or Halfback Joe Cribbs, who handled the ball more times (389) than any back in the NFL, counting passes caught and punt and kick returns as well as his rushes."Sports Illustrated, Sept. 7, 1981: PRO FOOTBALL '81, by Paul Zimmerman, page 48 NFL draft 1981 NFL draft Running back Robb Riddick played eight seasons for the Bills; he started eight games and ran for 632 total yards in 1986, and he became a short-yardage specialist in 1988 Said Zimmerman about the team's first pick, "(Coach Chuck) Knox is a ball control coach, and he's been desperately trying to juice up the fullback position, to take some heat off the 190-pound Cribbs. But No. 1 draft choice Booker Moore from Penn State came down with a nerve disorder called Guillain–Barré syndrome." 1981 Buffalo Bills Draft Round Selection Player Position College Notes 1 28 Booker Moore RB Penn State 2 49 Chris Williams DB LSU 50 Byron Franklin WR Auburn 3 76 Mike Mosley WR Texas A&M 84 Robert Geathers DT South Carolina State 5 135 Calvin Clark DE Purdue 6 161 Robert Holt WR Baylor 7 188 Steve Doolittle LB Colorado 9 241 Robb Riddick RB Millersville (PA) 10 272 Justin Cross OT Western Colorado 11 299 Buster Barnett TE Jackson State 12 326 Keith Clark LB Memphis State Undrafted free agents + 1981 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeJohn BungartzLinebackerCal State Fullerton Personnel Staff/coaches 1981 Buffalo Bills staff Front office Majority owner/team president – Ralph Wilson General manager – Stew Barber Vice president/minority owner – Pat McGroder Coaching staff Head coach – Chuck Knox Assistant head coach - - Tom Catlin Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator / offensive line – Ray Proschaska Running backs coach – Chick Harris Quarterbacks coach - Kay Stephenson Wide receivers coach – Jack Donaldson Defensive/special teams coaches Defensive coordinator / linebackers coach - Tom Catlin Defensive line – Jim Carmody Defensive backs – Ralph Hawkins Special teams – Steve Moore Special assignments' Special assignments coach – Miller McCalmon Roster 1981 Buffalo Bills 12 Joe Ferguson 17 Matt Robinson American football 47 Curtis Brown running back, born 1954 20 Joe Cribbs 25 Roland Hooks 48 Roosevelt Leaks 40 Robb Riddick y 80 Jerry Butler American football 85 Byron Franklin y 81 Ron Jessie 82 Frank Lewis American football 89 Lou Piccone 87 Steve Alvers 84 Buster Barnett y 86 Mark Brammer 73 Jon Borchardt G 70 Joe Devlin American football T 69 Conrad Dobler G 53 Will Grant C 72 Ken Jones American football T 61 Tom Lynch American football G 51 Jim Ritcher G 65 Tim Vogler C/G 97 Darrell Irvin DE 71 Mike Kadish NT 91 Ken Johnson defensive end, born 1955 DE 76 Fred Smerlas NT 83 Sherman White American football DE 77 Ben Williams American football, born 1954 DE 55 Jim Haslett ILB 50 Mike Humiston y ILB 62 Ervin Parker OLB 58 Isiah Robertson OLB 57 Lucius Sanford OLB 41 Phil Villapiano ILB 28 Rufus Bess CB 29 Mario Clark CB 22 Steve Freeman American football SS 42 Rod Kush SS 38 Jeff Nixon FS 26 Charles Romes CB 45 Bill Simpson American football FS 27 Chris Williams defensive back y CB  7 Greg Cater P  5 Nick Mike-Mayer K 14 Gene Bradley QB IR 56 Keith Clark y no LB NF-Inj. 63 Justin Cross y T IR 96 Robert Geathers y no DE IR 35 Robert Holt American football y WR IR 52 Chris Keating American football LB IR 30 Lawrence McCutcheon RB IR 67 Reggie McKenzie guard G IR 34 Booker Moore y RB NF-Ill. 88 Mike Mosley American football y WR IR 59 Shane Nelson American football LB IR 99 Mark Roopenian y NT IR 64 John Schmeding G (Ret.) 7px Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 6 New York Jets W 31–0 1–0 Rich Stadium 79,754 2 September 13 at Baltimore Colts W 35–3 2–0 Memorial Stadium 45,772 3 September 17 Philadelphia Eagles L 14–20 2–1 Rich Stadium 78,331 4 September 27 at Cincinnati Bengals L 24–27 2–2 Riverfront Stadium 46,418 5 October 4 Baltimore Colts W 23–17 3–2 Rich Stadium 77,811 6 October 12 Miami Dolphins W 31–21 4–2 Rich Stadium 78,576 7 October 18 at New York Jets L 14–33 4–3 Shea Stadium 54,607 8 October 25 Denver Broncos W 9–7 5–3 Rich Stadium 77,757 9 November 1 Cleveland Browns W 22–13 6–3 Rich Stadium 78,266 10 November 9 at Dallas Cowboys L 14–27 6–4 Texas Stadium 62,583 11 November 15 at St. Louis Cardinals L 0–24 6–5 Busch Memorial Stadium 46,214 12 November 22 New England Patriots W 20–17 7–5 Rich Stadium 71,593 13 November 29 Washington Redskins W 21–14 8–5 Rich Stadium 59,624 14 December 6 at San Diego Chargers W 28–27 9–5 Jack Murphy Stadium 51,488 15 December 13 at New England Patriots W 19–10 10–5 Shaefer Stadium 42,549 16 December 19 at Miami Dolphins L 6–16 10–6 Miami Orange Bowl 72,596 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Standings Game summaries Week 3: vs. Philadelphia Eagles Eagles 7 3 7 3 Bills 0 14 0 0 September 17, 1981 Rich Stadium 8:30pm EST 55 F C • 8 mph km/h knot Dick Jorgensen Frank Gifford, Don Meredith and Howard Cosell ABC Week 8: vs. Denver Broncos Broncos 0 7 0 0 Bills 0 3 3 3 October 25 Rich Stadium] 1:00 PM EST 77,757 41 F C • 10 mph km/h knot Gene Barth Don Criqui and John Brodie NBC Week 9: vs. Cleveland Browns Browns 0 3 3 7 Bills 6 7 2 7 November 1 Rich Stadium 1:00 PM EST 78,266 51 F C • 9 mph km/h knot Bob McElwee Don Criqui and John Brodie NBC Week 10: at Dallas Cowboys Bills 7 7 0 0 Cowboys 7 0 20 0 November 9, 1981 Texas Stadium 9:00 PM EST 62,583 50 F C • 20 mph km/h knot Dick Jorgensen Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell ABC yes 1 BUF Jerry Butler 16 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) BUF 7–0 1 DAL Doug Cosbie 12 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) Tied 7–7 2 BUF Curtis Brown 9 yard pass from Joe Cribbs (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) BUF 14–7 3 DAL Tony Dorsett 73 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick) Tied 14–14 3 DAL Tony Hill 37 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick) DAL 21–14 3 DAL Rafael Septien 47 yard field goal DAL 24–14 3 DAL Rafael Septien 31 yard field goal DAL 27–14 yes Week 14: at San Diego Chargers Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers Bills 7 7 14 0 Chargers 7 14 3 3 December 6 Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California 4:00pm PST 59 F, wind 9 mph on Fred Wyant Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen NBC Source: yes 1 Chargers Chuck Muncie 9 yard rush (Rolf Benirschke kick) Chergers 7–0 1 Bills Joe Ferguson 3-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) Tie 7–7 2 Chargers Wes Chandler 17-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) Chargers 14–7 2 Bills Roosevelt Leaks 9-yard rush (Nick Mike-Mayer) Tie 14–14 2 Chargers Kellen Winslow 67-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) Chargers 21–14 3 Bills Roosevelt Leaks 1-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) Tie 21–21 3 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 29-yard field goal Chargers 24–21 3 Bills Joe Cribbs 1-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) Bills 28–24 4 Chargers Rolf Benirschke 27-yard field goal Bills 28–27 yes Coming off their win at home against the Washington Redskins, the Buffalo Bills traveled to San Diego to face the Chargers and their potent offense. Buffalo's defense would face a tall task in slowing the Chargers who, in their previous two games, outscored their opponents 89–38. This game was a clash of style that pitted the Chargers and their pass-oriented Air Coryell offense versus Chuck Knox and his run-heavy, ball control offense. Defensively the teams also contrasted starkly with the Chargers ranking near the bottom of the NFL (26th overall), and the Bills ranking among the top defenses (6th overall). In the 1st quarter both teams traded rushing touchdowns as Chuck Muncie scored on a 9-yard run to give the home a lead, and Bills' quarterback Joe Ferguson scored on a 3-yard run to tie the game. The 2nd quarter produced a 21-point flurry that began when Dan Fouts threw a touchdown pass of 17 yards to Wes Chandler. The Bills answered when Roosevelt Leaks scored on a 9-yard run to tie the game briefly at 14–14. Dan Fouts put the Chargers ahead before the half when he connected with Kellen Winslow on a 67-yard touchdown pass. In the 3rd quarter the Bills tied the game when Roosevelt Leaks scored his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run. The Chargers took back the lead with Rolf Benirschke kicking a 29-yard field goal to give the Chargers a 24–21 lead. The Bills answered with a fourth rushing touchdown when Joe Cribbs scored on a 1-yard run. The Chargers cut the Bills' lead to 28–27 in fourth quarter when Rolf Benirschke kicked a 27-yard field. The Bills hung on to win the game and upset the heavily favored Chargers. Despite the Chargers outgaining the Bills 482 to 318 in total yards, the Bills forced three Chargers turnovers (1 fumble, 2 INTs) that allowed the Bills to keep the Chargers' potent offense on the sideline. With the win the Bills improved to 9–5. This was the last time the Bills ever beat the Chargers in San Diego. Buffalo didn't beat the Chargers on the road again until 2023, by which point they had moved back to Los Angeles. Stats Dan Fouts 28/42, 343 Yds, 2 TD, INT Chuck Muncie 22 Rush, 113 Rush Yds, 1 Rush TD Kellen Winslow 6 Rec, 126 Yds, 1 TD Joe Ferguson 13/29, 248 Yds, 4 Rush Yds, 1 Rush TD Roosevelt Leaks 8 Rush, 28 Rush Yds, 2 Rush TDs Frank Lewis 5 Rec, 113 Yds Playoffs Week Date Opponent Result Attendance Wildcard December 27, 1981 at New York Jets W 31–27 57,050 Divisional January 3, 1982 at Cincinnati Bengals L 28–21 55,420 Wild card Bills 17 7 0 7 Jets 0 10 3 14 December 27 Shea Stadium Flushing, Queens, New York 12:00 p.m. EST 57,050 Light rain; 37 F; wind 17 mph on Bob McElwee Charlie Jones and Len Dawson NBC yes Q1 00:16 BUF Romes 26 yard fumble return (Mike-Mayer kick) BUF 7–0 Q1 BUF Lewis 50 yard pass from Ferguson (Mike-Mayer kick) BUF 14–0 Q1 BUF Mike-Mayer 29 yard field goal BUF 17–0 Q2 BUF Lewis 26 yard pass from Ferguson (Mike-Mayer kick) BUF 24–0 Q2 NYJ Shuler 30 yard pass from Todd (Leahy kick) BUF 24–7 Q2 NYJ Leahy 26 yard field goal BUF 24–10 Q3 NYJ Leahy 19 yard field goal BUF 24–13 Q4 BUF Cribbs 45 yard run (Mike-Mayer kick) BUF 31–13 Q4 NYJ Jones 30 yard pass from Todd (Leahy kick) BUF 31–20 Q4 NYJ Long 1 yard run (Leahy kick) BUF 31–27 yes The Bills traveled to Shea Stadium, 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 only sixteen seconds into the matchup. 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. Divisional Bills 0 7 7 7 Bengals 14 0 7 7 January 3 Cincinnati, OH 1:00 p.m. EST 55,420 45 F; wind 14 mph on Pat Haggerty Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen NBC yes Q1 CIN Charles Alexander 4 yard rush (Jim Breech kick) CIN 7–0 Q1 CIN Johnson 1 yard rush (Jim Breech kick) CIN 14–0 Q2 BUF Joe Cribbs 1 yard rush (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) CIN 14–7 Q3 BUF Joe Cribbs 44 yard rush (Mike-Mayer kick) TIE 14–14 Q3 CIN Charles Alexander 20 yard rush (Jim Breech kick) CIN 21–14 Q4 BUF Jerry Butler 21 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) TIE 21–21 Q4 CIN Cris Collinsworth 16 yard pass from Ken Anderson CIN 28–21 yes After their thrilling Wild Card win in Shea Stadium, the Buffalo Bills traveled to Riverfront Stadium to play the #1 seeded Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills fell behind early when Cincinnati scored two rushing touchdowns in the 1st quarter to take a 14–0 lead. The Bills began chipping away at the deficit in the 2nd quarter when Joe Cribbs scored from 1 yard out and cut Cincinnati's lead to 14–7 at the half. In the 3rd quarter the Bills tied the game when Joe Cribbs scored on a 44-yard touchdown run. The Bengals promptly retook the lead with a 20-yard touchdown run from Charles Alexander. The Bills fought back and tied the game again in the 4th quarter when Jerry Butler caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Joe Ferguson. The Bengals broke the deadlock and took a 28–21 lead when Cris Collinsworth scored on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Ken Anderson. The Bills attempted to tie the game at the end of regulation, but Joe Ferguson's fourth down pass fell incomplete and Cincinnati held on for the win. Awards and honors All-Pros First Team Fred Smerlas, Nose tackle Second Team Joe Cribbs, Running back Frank Lewis, Wide receiver References Bills on Pro Football Reference Bills on jt-sw.com Bills Stats on jt-sw.com Category:Buffalo Bills seasons Buffalo Bills Buffalo