1981 Cincinnati Bengals season

1981 Cincinnati Bengals season
AFC Central
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Bills) 28–21 Won AFC Championship (vs. Chargers) 27–7 Lost Super Bowl XVI (vs. 49ers) 21–26
← 1980 Bengals seasons 1982 →

The 1981 Cincinnati Bengals season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League (NFL), and the 14th overall. The team won their first AFC Championship, but lost Super Bowl XVI to San Francisco.

Cincinnati had at least a share of the AFC Central lead the entire season. On December 13, quarterback Ken Anderson threw two touchdown passes as the Bengals clinched the division with a 17–10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bengals' only other rival for the division title by that point in the season.

Ken Anderson led the NFL in passing in 1981 with a 98.5 rating.

On January 3, 1982, the Bengals beat Buffalo, 28–21, in an AFC divisional playoff game. A week later, playing in their first AFC Championship Game in brutally cold weather, the Bengals defeated San Diego 27–7 at Riverfront Stadium. In a temperature of −9 °F (−23 °C) with a wind-chill factor of −59 °F (−51 °C), this game is referred to as the Freezer Bowl.

In Super Bowl XVI on January 24, 1982, in Pontiac, Michigan, the Bengals trailed 20–0 at halftime and lost to San Francisco, 26–21.

Offseason

Before the season, the Bengals unveiled new uniforms with tiger-striped helmets, jerseys and pants.

NFL Draft

1981 Cincinnati Bengals draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	10	David Verser	Wide receiver	Kansas
2	37	Cris Collinsworth *	Wide receiver	Florida
3	64	John Simmons	Defensive back	SMU
4	93	Guy Frazier	Linebacker	Wyoming
5	120	Benjie Pryor	Tight end	Pittsburgh
6	146	Rex Robinson	Placekicker	Georgia
7	176	Jeff Schuh	Linebacker	Minnesota
8	202	Bobby Kemp	Defensive back	Cal State Fullerton
9	229	Jim Hannula	Offensive tackle	Northern Illinois
9	230	Samoa Samoa	Running back	Washington State
10	258	Hubert Simpson	Running back	Tennessee
11	285	Robert Jackson	Defensive back	Central Michigan
12	312	Mark O'Connell	Quarterback	Ball State
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

^[1]

Undrafted free agents

1981 Undrafted Free Agents of note

Player	Position	College
Ken Brown	Wide receiver	Nebraska
Jim Destefano	Linebacker	Cornell
Dennis Dunn	Safety	Yale

Personnel

Staff

1981 Cincinnati Bengals staff

Front office Owner/General Manager – Paul Brown President – John Sawyer Director of Player Personnel – Pete Brown Head coaches Head Coach – Forrest Gregg Offensive coaches Quarterbacks/Receivers – Lindy Infante Offensive Backfield – George Sefcik Tight Ends – Bruce Coslet Offensive Line – Jim McNally

Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Hank Bullough Defensive Line – Dick Modzelewski Defensive Backfield – Dick LeBeau Special teams coaches Special Teams – Bruce Coslet Strength and conditioning Strength – Kim Wood

Roster

1981 Cincinnati Bengals roster

	Quarterbacks 14 Ken Anderson 15 Turk Schonert 12 Jack Thompson Running backs 40 Charles Alexander 45 Archie Griffin 36 Jimmy Hargrove 46 Pete Johnson FB 20 Elvis Peacock Wide receivers 84 Don Bass 80 Cris Collinsworth 85 Isaac Curtis 86 Steve Kreider 81 David Verser Tight ends 83 M. L. Harris 89 Dan Ross		Offensive linemen 58 Blair Bush C 62 Dave Lapham G 65 Max Montoya G 60 Blake Moore C 78 Anthony Muñoz T 76 Brad Oates T 68 Mike Obrovac T 70 Bobby Whitten T 77 Mike Wilson T Defensive linemen 79 Ross Browner DE 67 Gary Burley DE 73 Eddie Edwards DE 71 Rod Horn NT 72 Mike St. Clair DE 75 Wilson Whitley DT		Linebackers 50 Glenn Cameron 52 Tom Dinkel 49 Guy Frazier 53 Bo Harris 55 Jim LeClair 51 Rick Razzano 59 Jeff Schuh 57 Reggie Williams Defensive backs 34 Louis Breeden CB 47 Greg Bright S 24 Clarence Chapman CB 21 Oliver Davis CB 42 Mike Fuller S 44 Ray Griffin CB 27 Bryan Hicks S 26 Bobby Kemp S 13 Ken Riley CB 25 John Simmons CB Special teams 10 Jim Breech K 87 Pat McInally P		Reserve lists 74 IRTooltip Injured reserve) -- IRTooltip Injured reserve) 37 IRTooltip Injured reserve) 30 IRTooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad Rookies in italics

Source:^[2][3]

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Location	TV Time(EST)	TV Announcers	Attendance
1	September 6	Seattle Seahawks	W 27–21	Riverfront Stadium	NBC 1:00 pm	Mike Adamle & Rocky Bleier	41,177
2	September 13	at New York Jets	W 31–30	Shea Stadium	NBC 4:00pm	Charlie Jones & Len Dawson	49,454
3	September 20	Cleveland Browns	L 20–17	Riverfront Stadium	NBC 1:00 pm	Bob Costas & Bob Trumpy	52,170
4	September 27	Buffalo Bills	W 27–24	Riverfront Stadium	NBC 1:00 pm	Jay Randolph & Mike Haffner	46,418
5	October 4	at Houston Oilers	L 17–10	Astrodome	NBC 1:00 pm	Marv Albert & Jim Turner	44,350
6	October 11	at Baltimore Colts	W 41–19	Memorial Stadium	NBC 1:00 pm	Bob Costas & Bob Trumpy	33,060
7	October 18	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 34–7	Riverfront Stadium	NBC 1:00 pm	Don Criqui & John Brodie	57,090
8	October 25	at New Orleans Saints	L 17–7	Louisiana Superdome	NBC 1:00 pm	Mike Adamle & Mike Haffner	46,336
9	November 1	Houston Oilers	W 34–21	Riverfront Stadium	NBC 1:00 pm	Bob Costas & Bob Trumpy	54,736
10	November 8	at San Diego Chargers	W 40–17	Jack Murphy Stadium	NBC 4:00 pm	Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen	51,259
11	November 15	Los Angeles Rams	W 24–10	Riverfront Stadium	CBS 1:00 pm	Vin Scully & Hank Stram	56,836
12	November 22	Denver Broncos	W 38–21	Riverfront Stadium	NBC 1:00 pm	Bob Costas & Gene Washington	57,207
13	November 29	at Cleveland Browns	W 41–21	Cleveland Stadium	NBC 1:00 pm	Bob Costas & Bob Trumpy	75,186
14	December 6	San Francisco 49ers	L 21–3	Riverfront Stadium	CBS 1:00 pm	Tim Ryan & Fred Dryer	56,796
15	December 13	at Pittsburgh Steelers	W 17–10	Three Rivers Stadium	NBC 1:00 pm	Don Criqui & John Brodie	50,623
16	December 20	at Atlanta Falcons	W 30–28	Fulton County Stadium	NBC 4:00 pm	Charlie Jones & Len Dawson	35,972

Game summaries

Week 1

1 2 3 4 Total Seahawks 21 0 0 0 21 • Bengals 0 10 10 7 27 Date: September 6 Location: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game attendance: 41,177 Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C); wind 8 mph (13 km/h) Referee: Bob Frederic Television network: NBC

Scoring summary Q1 SEA Harris 29 yard interception return ( Herrera kick) SEA 7–0 Q1 SEA Largent 36 yard pass from Zorn (Herrera kick) SEA 14–0 Q1 SEA Jodat 1 yard run (Herrera kick) SEA 21–0 Q2 CIN Breech 25 yard field goal SEA 21–3 Q2 CIN Johnson 3 yard run (Breech kick) SEA 21–10 Q3 CIN Breech 40 yard field goal SEA 21–13 Q3 CIN Griffin 3 yard run (Breech kick) SEA 21–20 Q4 CIN Johnson 2 yard run (Breech kick) CIN 27–21

^[4]

Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total • Bengals 0 10 7 14 31 Jets 0 17 3 10 30 Date: September 13 Location: Shea Stadium Referee: Jerry Seeman

Week 3

1 2 3 4 Total • Browns 3 10 0 7 20 Bengals 0 0 3 14 17 Date: September 20 Location: Riverfront Stadium Referee: Red Cashion Television network: NBC

Week 4

1 2 3 4 OT Total Bills 0 14 0 10 0 24 • Bengals 0 10 0 14 3 27 Date: September 27 Location: Riverfront Stadium

Week 5

1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 3 0 7 0 10 • Oilers 0 7 7 3 17 Date: October 4 Location: Astrodome Game weather: Indoors (dome)

Week 6

1 2 3 4 Total • Bengals 3 14 7 17 41 Colts 0 5 0 14 19 Date: October 11 Location: Memorial Stadium Referee: Fred Wyant

Week 7

1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 0 0 0 7 7 • Bengals 10 3 14 7 34 Date: October 18 Location: Riverfront Stadium Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and John Brodie

Week 8

1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 0 0 0 7 7 • Saints 0 0 7 10 17 Date: October 25 Location: Tom Dooley

Week 9

1 2 3 4 Total Oilers 7 0 0 14 21 • Bengals 0 24 3 7 34 Date: November 1 Location: Riverfront Stadium

Week 10

1 2 3 4 Total • Bengals 10 21 0 9 40 Chargers 0 10 0 7 17 Date: November 8 Location: Jack Murphy Stadium Referee: Fred Silva

Week 11

1 2 3 4 Total Rams 0 3 0 7 10 • Bengals 10 0 0 14 24 Date: November 15 Location: Riverfront Stadium Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (CBS): Vin Scully and Hank Stram

Week 12

1 2 3 4 Total Broncos 0 7 0 14 21 • Bengals 14 14 0 10 38 Date: November 22 Location: Riverfront Stadium Referee: Jerry Markbreit

Week 13

1 2 3 4 Total • Bengals 14 14 0 13 41 Browns 0 7 0 14 21 Date: November 29 Location: Jim Tunney TV announcers (NBC): Bob Costas and Bob Trumpy

Scoring summary Q1 CIN Johnson 5 yard pass from Anderson (Breech kick) CIN 7–0 Q1 CIN Collinsworth 39 yard pass from Anderson (Breech kick) CIN 14–0 Q2 CIN Collinsworth 7 yard pass from Anderson (Breech kick) CIN 21–0 Q2 CLE Feacher 30 yard pass from Sipe (Bahr kick) CIN 21–7 Q2 CIN Harris 2 yard pass from Anderson (Breech kick) CIN 28–7 Q4 CLE Pruitt 1 yard run (Bahr kick) CIN 28–14 Q4 CIN Johnson 11 yard run (Breech kick) CIN 35–14 Q4 CIN Johnson 1 yard run (Breech kick) CIN 42–14 Q4 CLE Pruitt 7 yard pass from McDonald (Bahr kick) CIN 42–21

• Pete Johnson 21 Rush, 105 Yds

^[5]

Week 14

1 2 3 4 Total • 49ers 7 7 0 7 21 Bengals 0 3 0 0 3 Date: December 6 Location: Riverfront Stadium Referee: Jerry Seeman TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Fred Dryer

Week 15

1 2 3 4 Total • Bengals 0 10 7 0 17 Steelers 0 3 0 7 10 Date: December 13 Location: Three Rivers Stadium Referee: Red Cashion TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and John Brodie

Week 16

1 2 3 4 Total • Bengals 10 17 0 3 30 Falcons 0 21 0 7 28 Date: December 20 Location: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium Referee: Fred Wyant Television network: NBC

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Location	TV Time(EST)	TV Announcers	Attendance
Divisional	January 3, 1982	Buffalo Bills	W 28–21	Riverfront Stadium	NBC 1:00pm	Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen	55,420
Conference Championship	January 10, 1982	San Diego Chargers	W 27–7	Riverfront Stadium	NBC 1:00pm	Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen	46,302
Super Bowl	January 24, 1982	N San Francisco 49ers	L 26–21	Pontiac Silverdome	CBS 4:00pm	Pat Summerall & John Madden	81,270

Divisional

1 2 3 4 Total Bills 0 7 7 7 21 • Bengals 14 0 7 7 28 Date: January 3 Location: Riverfront Stadium Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Conference Championship

1 2 3 4 Total Chargers 0 7 0 0 7 • Bengals 10 7 3 7 27 Date: January 10 Location: Riverfront Stadium Referee: Fred Silva TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Super Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total • 49ers 7 13 0 6 26 Bengals 0 0 7 14 21 Date: January 24 Location: Pontiac Silverdome Game weather: Indoors (dome) Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Standings

AFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Cincinnati Bengals(1)	12	4	0	.750	4–2	10–2	421	304	W2
Pittsburgh Steelers	8	8	0	.500	3–3	5–7	356	297	L3
Houston Oilers	7	9	0	.438	4–2	6–6	281	355	W1
Cleveland Browns	5	11	0	.313	1–5	2–10	276	375	L5

Awards and records

• Ken Anderson,
  NFL MVP^[6]
• Ken Anderson, Bert Bell Award^[7]
• Ken Anderson, Franchise Record (since broken), Touchdown Passes, 29 Passes ^[8]
• Ken Anderson, Led NFL, Passer Rating, 98.4 Rating ^[9]

Milestones

• Ken Anderson, Franchise Record (since broken), Most Touchdown Passes in One Season, 29 Passes ^[8]
• Cris Collinsworth, 1st 1,000 Yard Receiving Season (1,009 yards) ^[10]
• Pete Johnson, 1,000 Yard Rushing Season (1,077 yards) ^[11]

References

External links

• 1981 Cincinnati Bengals at Pro-Football-Reference.com