1981 Baltimore Colts season

29th season in franchise history August 2023 March 2026 Baltimore Colts 1981 2–14 4th AFC East Mike McCormack Dick Szymanski Robert Irsay Memorial Stadium Did not qualify None Colts seasons The 1981 Baltimore Colts season was the 29th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). The Colts finished the NFL's 1981 season with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses, finishing in a tie with the New England Patriots for both last place in their division, the AFC East, and the worst record in the league. However, by virtue of beating the Patriots for their only two wins of the season, the Colts finished ahead of New England on a tiebreaker. Those wins came in the first and last weeks of the season, as the Colts lost their other fourteen games consecutively. They won those 2 games by a combined 3 points. The Colts’ defense had one of the worst seasons in NFL history, setting records for points (533) and yards (6,793) allowed. (The points record was later surpassed by the 2024 Carolina Panthers, who allowed 534 in a 17-game season. The yardage record was later surpassed by the 2012 New Orleans Saints, who allowed 7,042.) The Colts gave up more than twice as many points as they scored (259). Conversely, the Patriots, with whom they were tied in the AFC East, only gave up 48 more points than they scored. The Colts’ pass defense surrendered a staggering 8.19 yards-per-dropback, the most surrendered by any team in NFL history. Ryan Kalil ad: Carolina D not up to the task http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_5432_Ryan_Kalil_ad:_Carolina_D_not_up_to_the_task.html https://archive.today/20121206012944/http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_5432_Ryan_Kalil_ad:_Carolina_D_not_up_to_the_task.html 2012-12-06 www.coldhardfootballfacts.com The Colts’ -274 point differential (points scored vs. points allowed) is the second-worst since the 1970 merger, second only to the 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished 0–14 (ironically, the next year's Colts team went winless as well).Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1970 to 2011, in the regular season, sorted by ascending Points Differential The 1981 Colts are the first of only two NFL teams since 1940 to suffer eleven losses in a season during which they never had a lead.Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, in the regular season, team never had a lead during the game, sorted by most games in season matching criteria.The other team to never lead in eleven losses is the 1990 New England Patriots. The Colts allowed 40 points in 4 separate games during the season (including 3 games in a row from weeks 6-8), which is still an NFL record. According to Football Outsiders, they have the worst overall defense and passing defense in their ranking's history. 1981 DVOA: 49ers Finally Win It All, but Eagles Rule DVOA Football Outsiders https://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-analysis/2022/1981-dvoa-49ers-finally-win-it-all-eagles-rule-dvoa https://web.archive.org/web/20221130133943/https://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-analysis/2022/1981-dvoa-49ers-finally-win-it-all-eagles-rule-dvoa 2022-11-30 www.footballoutsiders.com The season included a bizarre incident in which, during the Colts’ 38–13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on November 15, team owner Bob Irsay called plays from the coaches’ booth. Quarterback Bert Jones told Sports Illustrated in 1986:[Irsay] couldn’t have told you how many players there were on the field, never mind what plays we had. All he was trying to do was embarrass the coaches and the players. When he told me to run, I threw. When he told me to throw left, I ran right.Wilson, Phillip B., 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die 17 (2013). Retrieved December 11, 2014. Head coach Mike McCormack and his staff were fired less than 24 hours after the season finale. Former Arizona State coach Frank Kush was immediately named McCormack's successor. Offseason NFL draft 1981 NFL draft 1981 Baltimore Colts 1 12 Randy McMillan Fullback Pittsburgh yes no 1 18 Donnell Thompson Defensive end North Carolina from Minnesota yes no 3 68 Randy Van Divier Tackle Washington yes no 4 94 Tim Sherwin Tight end Boston College yes no 6 149 Bubba Green Defensive tackle Penn State yes no 7 178 Obed Ariri Kicker Clemson no 8 204 Ken Sitton Defensive back Oklahoma no 8 220 Hosea Taylor Defensive tackle Houston yes no 9 233 Tim Gooch Defensive tackle Kentucky no 10 256 Gregg Gerken Linebacker Northern Arizona no 10 259 Trent Bryant Cornerback Arkansas no 11 288 Holden Smith Wide receiver North Carolina no 12 315 Eric Scoggins Linebacker USC no no Personnel Staff 1981 Baltimore Colts President and Treasurer – Robert Irsay General Manager – Dick Szymanski Assistant General Manager – Ernie Accorsi Head Coach – Mike McCormack Offensive Backfield – John Idzik Receivers – Dick Bielski Offensive Line – Ray Wietecha Defensive Coordinator – Chuck Weber Defensive Line – Ed Khayat Defensive Backfield – John Symank Special Teams – George Boutselis Roster 1981 Baltimore Colts 10 David Humm  7 Bert Jones 14 Jay Venuto y 27 Curtis Dickey 31 Zachary Dixon 28 Cleveland Franklin 23 Don McCauley 32 Randy McMillan y 39 Marvin Sims 21 Kevin Williams wide receiver, born 1958 y 80 Ray Butler American football 84 Randy Burke 81 Roger Carr 87 Brian DeRoo 85 Dave Shula y 86 Reese McCall 83 Tim Sherwin y 53 Ray Donaldson C 78 Tim Foley offensive tackle T 66 Chris Foote American football C 69 Wade Griffin T 68 Jeff Hart gridiron football T 62 Ken Huff G 65 Jimmy Moore no G 61 Robert Pratt American football G 79 Randy Van Divier y T 72 Mike Fultz DT 91 Bubba Green y DT 88 Herb Orvis DT 71 Mike Ozdowski DE 90 Hosea Taylor y DE 99 Donnell Thompson y DE 50 Joe Federspiel MLB 51 Ricky Jones American football OLB 55 Barry Krauss OLB 54 Sanders Shiver OLB 52 Ed Smith linebacker MLB 47 Larry Braziel CB 25 Nesby Glasgow FS/CB 42 Derrick Hatchett CB 44 Steve Henry American football CB 40 Bruce Laird American football SS 37 Reggie Pinkney SS  9 Mike Garrett punter y P 16 Mike Wood American football K 26 Kim Anderson American football S IR 63 Mike Barnes American football, born 1950 DT IR 58 Steve Heimkreiter LB IR 11 Greg Landry QB IR 29 Bill Schoepflin no y CB IR 56 Ed Simonini LB IR 20 Ken Sitton no y S IR 45 Holden Smith no y WR DNR  2 Brian Sullivan no y P/K IR 59 Mike Woods American football LB IR Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 6 at New England Patriots W 29–28 1–0 Schaefer Stadium 49,572 2 September 13 Buffalo Bills L 3–35 1–1 Memorial Stadium 45,772 3 September 20 at Denver Broncos L 10–28 1–2 Mile High Stadium 74,804 4 September 27 Miami Dolphins L 28–31 1–3 Memorial Stadium 41,630 5 October 4 at Buffalo Bills L 17–23 1–4 Rich Stadium 77,811 6 October 11 Cincinnati Bengals L 19–41 1–5 Memorial Stadium 33,060 7 October 18 San Diego Chargers L 14–43 1–6 Memorial Stadium 41,921 8 October 25 at Cleveland Browns L 28–42 1–7 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 78,986 9 November 1 at Miami Dolphins L 10–27 1–8 Miami Orange Bowl 46,061 10 November 8 New York Jets L 14–41 1–9 Memorial Stadium 31,521 11 November 15 at Philadelphia Eagles L 13–38 1–10 Veterans Stadium 68,618 12 November 22 St. Louis Cardinals L 24–35 1–11 Memorial Stadium 24,784 13 November 29 at New York Jets L 0–25 1–12 Shea Stadium 53,593 14 December 6 Dallas Cowboys L 13–37 1–13 Memorial Stadium 54,871 15 December 13 at Washington Redskins L 14–38 1–14 RFK Stadium 46,706 16 December 20 New England Patriots W 23–21 2–14 Memorial Stadium 17,073 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: at New England Patriots Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 1: Baltimore Colts at New England Patriots – Game summary September 6 1:00 p.m. EDT Colts 10 3 3 13 Patriots 0 14 0 14 Schaefer Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts 49,572 Cloudy, 63 F C Box score First quarter BAL – Mike Wood 48-yard field goal. Colts 3–0. BAL – Curtis Dickey 19-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Colts 10–0. Second quarter NE – Mosi Tatupu 8-yard pass from Andy Johnson (John Smith kick). Colts 10–7. BAL – Mike Wood 19-yard field goal. Colts 13–7. NE – Carlos Pennywell 22-yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick). Patriots 14–13. Third quarter BAL – Mike Wood 35-yard field goal. Colts 16–14. Fourth quarter BAL – Randy McMillan 35-yard run (kick failed). Colts 22–14. NE – Don Calhoun 1-yard run (John Smith kick). Colts 22–21. BAL – Randy McMillan 2-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Colts 29–21. NE – Don Hasselbeck 4-yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick). Colts 29–28. Top passers BAL – Bert Jones – 12/20, 113 yards NE – Steve Grogan – 14/27, 261 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers BAL – Randy McMillan – 16 rushes, 146 yards, 2 TD NE – Tony Collins – 15 rushes, 81 yards Top receivers BAL – Roger Carr – 2 receptions, 34 yards NE – Don Hasselbeck – 6 receptions, 111 yards, TD Statistics BALNE First downs 21 22 Total yards 346 388 Rushing yards 249 114 Net passing yards 97 274 Sacked–yards 2–16 3–11 Turnovers 1 3 Penalties–yards 10–75 8–84 Week 2: vs. Buffalo Bills Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 2: Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Colts – Game summary September 13 2:00 p.m. EDT Bills 7 14 7 7 Colts 0 3 0 0 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 45,772 Partly cloudy, 78 F C Box score First quarter BUF – Joe Cribbs 33-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 7–0. Second quarter BAL – Mike Wood 22-yard field goal. Bills 7–3. BUF – Jerry Butler 54-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 14–3. BUF – Mark Brammer 5-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 21–3. Third quarter BUF – Buster Barnett 3-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 28–3. Fourth quarter BUF – Roland Hooks 5-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 35–3. Top passers BUF – Joe Ferguson – 16/28, 261 yards, 4 TD, INT BAL – Greg Landry – 7/17, 90 yards, INT Top rushers BUF – Joe Cribbs – 17 rushes, 66 yards BAL – Curtis Dickey – 14 rushes, 35 yards Top receivers BUF – Frank Lewis – 4 receptions, 82 yards BAL – Roger Carr – 4 receptions, 50 yards Statistics BUFBAL First downs 26 11 Total yards 430 147 Rushing yards 169 73 Net passing yards 261 74 Sacked–yards 0–0 5–46 Turnovers 3 3 Penalties–yards 9–65 1–5 Week 3: at Denver Broncos Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 3: Baltimore Colts at Denver Broncos – Game summary September 20 4:00 p.m. EDT/2:00 p.m. MDT Colts 0 0 10 0 Broncos 0 14 14 0 Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado 74,804 Sunny, 70 F C Box score First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter DEN – Ron Egloff 7-yard pass from Craig Morton (Fred Steinfort kick). Broncos 7–0. DEN – Steve Watson 29-yard pass from Craig Morton (Fred Steinfort kick). Broncos 14–0. Third quarter BAL – Mike Wood 21-yard field goal. Broncos 14–3. BAL – Curtis Dickey 63-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Broncos 14–10. DEN – Steve Watson 18-yard pass from Craig Morton (Fred Steinfort kick). Broncos 21–10. DEN – Steve Watson 48-yard pass from Craig Morton (Fred Steinfort kick). Broncos 28–10. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers BAL – Bert Jones – 7/19, 65 yards, INT DEN – Craig Morton – 20/28, 291 yards, 4 TD, 4 INT Top rushers BAL – Curtis Dickey – 12 rushes, 115 yards, TD DEN – Rick Parros – 14 rushes, 65 yards Top receivers BAL – Randy McMillan – 4 receptions, 29 yards DEN – Steve Watson – 7 receptions, 143 yards, 3 TD Statistics BALDEN First downs 10 27 Total yards 209 442 Rushing yards 161 127 Net passing yards 48 315 Sacked–yards 2–17 3–26 Turnovers 3 4 Penalties–yards 8–63 9–65 Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 4: Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Colts – Game summary September 27 2:00 p.m. EDT Dolphins 7 7 7 10 Colts 0 7 14 7 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 41,630 Partly cloudy, 67 F C Box score First quarter MIA – Tommy Vigorito 31-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 7–0. Second quarter MIA – Andra Franklin 10-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 14–0. BAL – Curtis Dickey 32-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Dolphins 14–7. Third quarter BAL – Ray Butler 19-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Tied 14–14. MIA – Nick Giaquinto 14-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 21–14. BAL – Ray Butler 67-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Tied 21–21. Fourth quarter MIA – Andra Franklin 1-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 28–21. BAL – Curtis Dickey 1-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Tied 28–28. MIA – Uwe von Schamann 27-yard field goal. Dolphins 31–28. Top passers MIA – David Woodley – 19/30, 309 yards, 2 TD BAL – Bert Jones – 20/27, 357 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers MIA – Andra Franklin – 20 rushes, 76 yards, 2 TD BAL – Curtis Dickey – 13 rushes, 77 yards, TD Top receivers MIA – Duriel Harris – 3 receptions, 73 yards BAL – Ray Butler – 4 receptions, 145 yards, 2 TD Statistics MIABAL First downs 22 20 Total yards 428 514 Rushing yards 119 166 Net passing yards 309 348 Sacked–yards 0–0 1–9 Turnovers 0 1 Penalties–yards 4–35 6–52 Week 5: at Buffalo Bills Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 5: Baltimore Colts at Buffalo Bills – Game summary October 4 1:00 p.m. EDT Colts 0 3 0 14 Bills 14 0 3 6 Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 77,811 Mostly cloudy, 47 F C Box score First quarter BUF – Jerry Butler 16-yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 7–0. BUF – Roosevelt Leaks 1-yard run (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 14–0. Second quarter BAL – Mike Wood 32-yard field goal. Bills 14–3. Third quarter BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 34-yard field goal. Bills 17–3. Fourth quarter BAL – Roger Carr 6-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Bills 17–10. BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 44-yard field goal. Bills 20–10. BUF – Nick Mike-Mayer 45-yard field goal. Bills 23–10. BAL – Ray Butler 14-yard pass from Bert Jones (Nick Mike-Mayer kick). Bills 23–17. Top passers BAL – Bert Jones – 22/36, 275 yards, 2 TD, INT BUF – Joe Ferguson – 14/29, 148 yards, TD, INT Top rushers BAL – Curtis Dickey – 10 rushes, 78 yards BUF – Joe Cribbs – 17 rushes, 159 yards Top receivers BAL – Curtis Dickey – 3 receptions, 80 yards BUF – Jerry Butler – 4 receptions, 73 yards, TD Statistics BALBUF First downs 23 22 Total yards 378 366 Rushing yards 133 229 Net passing yards 245 137 Sacked–yards 4–30 1–11 Turnovers 2 1 Penalties–yards 10–55 7–49 Week 6: vs. Cincinnati Bengals Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 6: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Colts – Game summary October 11 2:00 p.m. EDT Bengals 3 14 7 17 Colts 0 5 0 14 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 33,060 Mostly sunny, 53 F C Fred Wyant NBC Box score First quarter CIN – Jim Breech 38-yard field goal. Bengals 3–0. Second quarter BAL – Pat McInally punt blocked out of end zone. Bengals 3–2. BAL – Mike Wood 19-yard field goal. Colts 5–3. CIN – Cris Collinsworth 18-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 10–5. CIN – David Verser 20-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 17–5. Third quarter CIN – Dan Ross 2-yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 24–5. Fourth quarter BAL – Cleveland Franklin 1-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Bengals 24–12. CIN – Jim Breech 24-yard field goal. Bengals 27–12. CIN – Pete Johnson 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 34–12. BAL – Reese McCall 65-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Bengals 34–19. CIN – Jimmy Hargrove 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick). Bengals 41–19. Top passer CIN – Ken Anderson – 21/27, 257 yards, 3 TD BAL – Bert Jones – 22/30, 310 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers CIN – Pete Johnson – 20 rushes, 75 yards, TD BAL – Zachary Dixon – 6 rushes, 23 yards Top receivers CIN – Dan Ross – 7 receptions, 106 yards, TD BAL – Curtis Dickey – 11 receptions, 88 yards Statistics CINBAL First downs 24 22 Total yards 378 350 Rushing yards 121 56 Net passing yards 257 294 Sacked–yards 0–0 4–42 Turnovers 0 4 Penalties–yards 5–54 6–51 Week 7: vs. San Diego Chargers Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 7: San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Colts – Game summary October 18 2:00 p.m. EDT Chargers 7 16 7 13 Colts 7 0 7 0 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 41,921 Cloudy, 53 F C Bob McElwee NBC Phil Stone and Gene Washington Box score BAL – Roger Carr 29-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Colts 7–0. SD – Chuck Muncie 3-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick). Tied 7–7. Second quarter SD – John Cappelletti 12-yard pass from Dan Fouts (kick field). Chargers 13–7. SD – Charlie Joiner 23-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 20–7. SD – Rolf Benirschke 30-yard field goal. Chargers 23–7. Third quarter SD – Chuck Muncie 3-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 30–7. BAL – Curtis Dickey 5-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Chargers 30–14. Fourth quarter SD – John Cappelletti 1-yard run (kick failed). Chargers 36–14. SD – Clarence Williams 7-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick). Chargers 43–14. Top passers SD – Dan Fouts – 26/43, 298 yards, 3 TD BAL – Bert Jones – 20/37, 255 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers SD – James Brooks – 14 rushes, 72 yards BAL – Curtis Dickey – 6 rushes, 32 yards Top receivers SD – Charlie Joiner – 6 receptions, 82 yards, TD BAL – Roger Carr – 3 receptions, 63 yards, TD Statistics SDBAL First downs 30 18 Total yards 470 264 Rushing yards 172 68 Net passing yards 298 196 Sacked–yards 0–0 6–59 Turnovers 1 3 Penalties–yards 6–30 5–45 Week 8: at Cleveland Browns Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 8: Baltimore Colts at Cleveland Browns – Game summary October 25 1:00 p.m. EST Colts 0 7 14 7 Browns 7 21 7 7 Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio 78,986 Partly cloudy, 40 F C Box score First quarter CLE – Ozzie Newsome 1-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 7–0. Second quarter CLE – Greg Pruitt 22-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 14–0. CLE – Dave Logan 40-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 21–0. BAL – Curtis Dickey 3-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Browns 21–7. CLE – Charles White 2-yard run (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 28–7. Third quarter BAL – Greg Landry 11-yard fumble return (Mike Wood kick). Browns 28–14. BAL – Ray Butler 36-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Browns 28–21. CLE – Ricky Feacher 28-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 35–21. Fourth quarter BAL – Ray Butler 5-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Browns 35–28. CLE – Mike Pruitt 16-yard run (Matt Bahr kick). Browns 42–28. Top passers BAL – Bert Jones – 17/37, 249 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT CLE – Brian Sipe – 30/41, 444 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT Top rushers BAL – Randy McMillan – 14 rushes, 57 yards CLE – Mike Pruitt – 16 rushes, 87 yards, TD Top receivers BAL – Roger Carr – 3 receptions, 58 yards CLE – Greg Pruitt – 9 receptions, 104 yards, TD Statistics BALCLE First downs 18 30 Total yards 357 562 Rushing yards 118 131 Net passing yards 239 431 Sacked–yards 2–10 1–13 Turnovers 3 6 Penalties–yards 5–33 6–56 Week 9: at Miami Dolphins Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 9: Baltimore Colts at Miami Dolphins – Game summary November 1 1:00 p.m. EST Colts 0 10 0 0 Dolphins 7 7 10 3 Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida 46,061 Mostly sunny, 78 F C Box score First quarter MIA – David Woodley 3-yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 7–0. Second quarter BAL – Don McCauley 5-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Tied 7–7. MIA – Duriel Harris 22-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 14–7. BAL – Mike Wood 44-yard field goal. Dolphins 14–10. Third quarter MIA – Uwe von Schamann 41-yard field goal. Dolphins 17–10. MIA – Ronnie Lee 7-yard pass from David Woodley (Uwe von Schamann kick). Dolphins 24–10. Fourth quarter MIA – Uwe von Schamann 32-yard field goal. Dolphins 27–10. Top passers BAL – Bert Jones – 23/37, 248 yards, TD, 2 INT MIA – David Woodley – 14/25, 164 yards, 2 TD Top rushers BAL – Curtis Dickey – 9 rushes, 31 yards MIA – Andra Franklin – 23 rushes, 101 yards Top receivers BAL – Randy McMillan – 9 receptions, 78 yards MIA – Bruce Hardy – 4 receptions, 54 yards Statistics BALMIA First downs 19 19 Total yards 308 310 Rushing yards 68 146 Net passing yards 240 164 Sacked–yards 1–8 0–0 Turnovers 3 0 Penalties–yards 7–58 6–55 Week 10: vs. New York Jets Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 10: New York Jets at Baltimore Colts – Game summary November 8 4:00 p.m. EST Jets 10 14 7 10 Colts 7 7 0 0 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 31,521 Clear, 49 F C Box score First quarter NYJ – Pat Leahy 25-yard field goal. Jets 3–0. BAL – Randy McMillan 2-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Colts 7–3. NYJ – Wesley Walker 34-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 10–7. Second quarter BAL – Randy McMillan 1-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Colts 14–10. NYJ – Mike Augustyniak 1-yard run (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 17–14. NYJ – Lam Jones 25-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 24–14. Third quarter NYJ – Kevin Long 1-yard pass from Richard Todd (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 31–14. Fourth quarter NYJ – Bruce Harper 3-yard run (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 38–14. NYJ – Pat Leahy 41-yard field goal. Jets 41–14. Top passers NYJ – Richard Tod – 21/31, 277 yards, 3 TD BAL – Bert Jones – 24/33, 243 yards, TD, INT Top rushers NYJ – Bruce Harper – 10 rushes, 44 yards, TD BAL – Zachary Dixon – 9 rushes, 54 yards Top receivers NYJ – Wesley Walker – 3 receptions, 94 yards, TD BAL – Randy McMillan – 11 receptions, 68 yards, TD Statistics NYJBAL First downs 28 21 Total yards 393 332 Rushing yards 122 114 Net passing yards 271 218 Sacked–yards 1–6 2–25 Turnovers 0 2 Penalties–yards 4–25 6–74 Week 11: at Philadelphia Eagles Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 11: Baltimore Colts at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary November 15 1:00 p.m. EST Colts 6 0 0 7 Eagles 7 14 10 7 Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 68,618 Partly cloudy, 51 F C Box score First quarter PHI – Keith Krepfle 15-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick). Eagles 7–0. BAL – Curtis Dickey 1-yard run (kick failed). Eagles 7–6. Second quarter PHI – Wilbert Montgomery 5-yard run (Tony Franklin kick). Eagles 14–6. PHI – Wilbert Montgomery 1-yard run (Tony Franklin kick). Eagles 21–6. Third quarter PHI – Tony Franklin 32-yard field goal. Eagles 24–6. PHI – Charlie Smith 30-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick). Eagles 31–6. Fourth quarter BAL – Zachary Dixon 17-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Eagles 31–13. PHI – Wally Henry 44-yard pass from Joe Pisarcik (Tony Franklin kick). Eagles 38–13. Top passers BAL – Bert Jones – 8/17, 93 yards, TD, INT PHI – Ron Jaworski – 19/29, 294 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers BAL – Curtis Dickey – 6 rushes, 17 yards, TD PHI – Wilbert Montgomery – 22 rushes, 115 yards, 2 TD Top receivers BAL – Ray Butler – 3 receptions, 54 yards PHI – Harold Carmichael – 7 receptions, 93 yards Statistics BALPHI First downs 9 34 Total yards 208 574 Rushing yards 36 235 Net passing yards 172 339 Sacked–yards 0–0 1–13 Turnovers 2 2 Penalties–yards 7–53 6–45 Week 12: vs. St. Louis Cardinals Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 12: St. Louis Cardinals at Baltimore Colts – Game summary November 22 2:00 p.m. EST Cardinals 14 7 7 7 Colts 10 0 7 7 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 24,784 Partly cloudy, 39 F C Box score First quarter STL – Ottis Anderson 4-yard run (Neil O'Donoghue kick). Cardinals 7–0. BAL – Curtis Dickey 36-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Tied 7–7. STL – Dave Ahrens 14-yard interception return (Neil O'Donoghue kick). Cardinals 14–7. BAL – Mike Wood 40-yard field goal. Cardinals 14–10. Second quarter STL – Neil Lomax 10-yard run (Neil O'Donoghue kick). Cardinals 21–10. Third quarter BAL – Roger Carr 5-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Cardinals 21–17. STL – Wayne Morris 3-yard run (Neil O'Donoghue kick). Cardinals 28–17. Fourth quarter BAL – Ray Butler 8-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Cardinals 28–24. STL – Ottis Anderson 11-yard run (Neil O'Donoghue kick). Cardinals 35–24. Top passers STL – Neil Lomax – 12/21, 219 yards BAL – Bert Jones – 23/45, 230 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers STL – Ottis Anderson – 29 rushes, 130 yards, 2 TD BAL – Zachary Dixon – 12 rushes, 64 yards Top receivers STL – Pat Tilley – 5 receptions, 158 yards BAL – Randy McMillan – 4 receptions, 59 yards Statistics STLBAL First downs 24 22 Total yards 452 385 Rushing yards 241 155 Net passing yards 211 230 Sacked–yards 1–8 0–0 Turnovers 3 2 Penalties–yards 7–60 6–54 Week 13: at New York Jets Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 13: Baltimore Colts at New York Jets – Game summary November 29 1:00 p.m. EST Colts 0 0 0 0 Jets 7 6 9 3 Shea Stadium, Flushing, New York 53,593 Partly cloudy, 42 F C Box score First quarter NJY – Freeman McNeil 30-yard run (Pat Leahy kick). Jets 7–0. Second quarter NYJ – Pat Leahy 37-yard field goal. Jets 10–0. NYJ – Pat Leahy 22-yard field goal. Jets 13–0. Third quarter NYJ – Freeman Mcneil 1-yard run (kick failed). Jets 19–0. NYJ – Pat Leahy 27-yard field goal. Jets 22–0. Fourth quarter NYJ – Pat Leahy 27-yard field goal. Jets 25–0. Top passers BAL – Bert Jones – 10/24, 142 yards, INT NYJ – Richard Todd – 16/28, 143 yards Top rushers BAL – Zachary Dixon – 12 rushes, 22 yards NYJ – Freeman McNeil – 24 rushes, 93 yards, 2 TD Top receivers BAL – Ray Butler – 5 receptions, 88 yards NYJ – Bobby Jones – 4 receptions, 46 yards Statistics BALNYJ First downs 11 22 Total yards 152 300 Rushing yards 49 161 Net passing yards 103 139 Sacked–yards 5–39 1–4 Turnovers 1 0 Penalties–yards 9–82 6–40 Week 14: vs. Dallas Cowboys Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 14: Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Colts – Game summary December 6 2:00 p.m. EST Cowboys 17 10 0 10 Colts 6 0 7 0 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 54,871 Cold, 39 F C, wind chill 29 F C Ben Dreith CBS Jim Kelly and John Dockery Box score First quarter DAL – Ron Springs 1-yard run (Rafael Septién kick). Cowboys 7–0. DAL – Rafael Septién 42-yard field goal. Cowboys 10–0. DAL – Ron Springs 2-yard run (Rafael Septién kick). Cowboys 17–0. BAL – Curtis Dickey 20-yard run (kick failed). Cowboys 17–6. Second quarter DAL – Ron Springs 2-yard pass from Glenn Carano (Rafael Septién kick). Cowboys 24–6. DAL – Rafael Septién 35-yard field goal. Cowboys 27–6. Third quarter BAL – Curtis Dickey 20-yard run (Mike Wood kick). Cowboys 27–13. Fourth quarter DAL – Rafael Septién 31-yard field goal. Cowboys 30–13. DAL – James Jones 59-yard run (Rafael Septién kick). Cowboys 37–13. Top passers DAL – Drew Pearson – 1/1, 59 yards BAL – David Humm – 7/24, 90 yards, 2 INT Top rushers DAL – Tony Dorsett – 30 rushes, 175 yards BAL – Curtis Dickey – 15 rushes, 130 yards, 2 TD Top receivers DAL – Tony Hill – 2 receptions, 69 yards BAL – Ray Butler – 3 receptions, 40 yards Statistics DALBAL First downs 29 9 Total yards 464 238 Rushing yards 354 156 Net passing yards 110 82 Sacked–yards 0–0 1–8 Turnovers 2 3 Penalties–yards 6–33 11–87 Week 15: at Washington Redskins Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 15: Baltimore Colts at Washington Redskins – Game summary December 13 1:00 p.m. EST Colts 7 0 7 0 Redskins 7 21 10 0 RFK Stadium, Washington, D. C. 46,706 Cloudy, 35 F C Box score First quarter WAS – Virgil Seay 38-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick). Redskins 7–0. BAL – Ray Butler 10-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Tied 7–7. Second quarter WAS – John Riggins 8-yard run (Mark Moseley kick). Redskins 14–7. WAS – John Riggins 14-yard run (Mark Moseley kick). Redskins 21–7. WAS – Joe Theismann 8-yard run (Mark Moseley kick). Redskins 28–7. Third quarter WAS – Art Monk 13-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick). Redskins 35–7. BAL – Reese McCall 6-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Redskins 35–14. WAS – Mark Moseley 32-yard field goal. Redskins 38–14. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers BAL – Bert Jones – 14/25, 217 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT WAS – Joe Theismann – 23/36, 339 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers BAL – Curtis Dickey – 17 rushes, 56 yards WAS – Joe Washington – 20 rushes, 73 yards Top receivers BAL – Roger Carr – 6 receptions, 114 yards WAS – Art Monk – 7 receptions, 148 yards, TD Statistics BALWAS First downs 21 27 Total yards 337 486 Rushing yards 120 147 Net passing yards 217 339 Sacked–yards 1–0 0–0 Turnovers 2 1 Penalties–yards 3–73 6–60 Week 16: vs. New England Patriots Indianapolis Colts 1981;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 16: New England Patriots at Baltimore Colts – Game summary December 20 2:00 p.m. EST Patriots 7 7 0 7 Colts 10 7 6 0 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland 17,073 Mostly sunny, 21 F C Ben Dreith Box score First quarter BAL – Mike Wood 30-yard field goal. Colts 3–0. NE – Sam Cunningham 4-yard run (John Smith kick). Patriots 7–3. BAL – Don McCauley 5-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Colts 10–7. Second quarter NE – Don Westbrook 15-yard pass from Tom Owen (John Smith kick). Patriots 14–10. BAL – Ray Butler 53-yard pass from Bert Jones (Mike Wood kick). Colts 17–14. Third quarter BAL – Ray Butler 37-yard pass from Bert Jones (kick failed). Colts 23–14. Fourth quarter NE – Don Westbrook 2-yard pass from Matt Cavanaugh (John Smith kick). Colts 23–21. Top passers NE – Matt Cavanaugh – 11/16, 145 yards, TD BAL – Bert Jones – 17/28, 267 yards, 3 TD, INT Top rushers NE – Don Calhoun – 9 rushes, 34 yards BAL – Zachary Dixon – 13 rushes, 52 yards Top receivers NE – Harold Jackson – 4 receptions, 71 yards BAL – Ray Butler – 2 receptions, 90 yards, 2 TD Statistics NEBAL First downs 20 19 Total yards 350 383 Rushing yards 77 128 Net passing yards 273 255 Sacked–yards 1–8 1–12 Turnovers 4 2 Penalties–yards 6–20 6–53 The Colts ended the 1981 season by snapping their 14-game losing streak and swept the Patriots. However, the win would cause the Colts to lose out on the first overall pick in the following draft, which would go to the Patriots, and the Colts would secure the second overall pick instead. Standings Records set NFL records (team) Most Points Allowed, Season, 533 Worst Point Differential, 16-game season, -274 Most First-Half Points Allowed, 16-game season, 307Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1978 to 2012, in the Regular Season, sorted by descending Opp First Half score. Most Touchdowns Allowed, Season, 68 Most First Downs Allowed Season, 406 Fewest Punt Returns, Season, 12 The '81 Colts held the record for most total yards allowed in a 16-game season—6,793—until it was broken by the 2012 New Orleans Saints (7,042). See also History of the Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts seasons Colts–Patriots rivalry List of organizational conflicts in the NFL Notes "note" References Baltimore Colts Category:Baltimore Colts seasons Baltimore