| 1981 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Edgar Kaiser |
| General manager | Grady Alderman |
| Head coach | Dan Reeves |
| Home field | Mile High Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1981 Denver Broncos season was the team's 22nd year in professional football and its 12th with the National Football League (NFL). Led by first-year head coach Dan Reeves, [1] the Broncos were 10–6, tied for first in the AFC West, but failed to make the postseason again due to their loss to the Buffalo Bills, who gained the final berth.
The Broncos were undefeated at home in 1981, [2] but had six road losses. After a promising 8–3 start, Denver lost three of their final five games, including a critical loss against the Cincinnati Bengals in week 12. Entering the season finale against the Chicago Bears, they had a one-game lead over the San Diego Chargers in the AFC West, [2] but the loss at Soldier Field ended their season, losing the tiebreakers for the division and wild card berths. [3] [4]
Prior to this season, ownership changed in February; coaching and front office changes were made in March. [1] [5] [6] [7]
NFL Draft
| 1981 Denver Broncos draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Dennis Smith * | S | USC | |
| 2 | 42 | Clay Brown | TE | BYU | |
| 4 | 106 | Mark Herrmann | QB | Purdue | |
| 5 | 125 | Ken Lanier | T | Florida State | |
| 6 | 151 | Alvin Lewis | RB | Colorado State | |
| 7 | 181 | Steve Busick | LB | USC | |
| 9 | 234 | Rusty Olsen | DE | Washington | |
| 11 | 290 | Pat Walker | WR | Miami (FL) | |
| 12 | 317 | John Hankerd | LB | Notre Dame | |
| 12 | 321 | Mandel Robinson | RB | Wyoming | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
- Source: [8]
Roster
- Source:
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6 | Oakland Raiders | W 9–7 | 1–0 | Mile High Stadium | 74,796 | |
| 2 | September 13 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 10–13 | 1–1 | Kingdome | 58,513 | |
| 3 | September 20 | Baltimore Colts | W 28–10 | 2–1 | Mile High Stadium | 74,804 | |
| 4 | September 27 | San Diego Chargers | W 42–24 | 3–1 | Mile High Stadium | 74,822 | |
| 5 | October 4 | at Oakland Raiders | W 17–0 | 4–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 51,035 | |
| 6 | October 11 | Detroit Lions | W 27–21 | 5–1 | Mile High Stadium | 74,816 | |
| 7 | October 18 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–28 | 5–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 74,672 | |
| 8 | October 25 | at Buffalo Bills | L 7–9 | 5–3 | Rich Stadium | 77,757 | |
| 9 | November 2 | Minnesota Vikings | W 19–17 | 6–3 | Mile High Stadium | 74,834 | |
| 10 | November 8 | Cleveland Browns | W 23–20 OT | 7–3 | Mile High Stadium | 74,859 | |
| 11 | November 15 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 24–7 | 8–3 | Tampa Stadium | 64,518 | |
| 12 | November 22 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 21–38 | 8–4 | Riverfront Stadium | 57,207 | |
| 13 | November 29 | at San Diego Chargers | L 17–34 | 8–5 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 51,533 | |
| 14 | December 6 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 16–13 | 9–5 | Mile High Stadium | 74,744 | |
| 15 | December 13 | Seattle Seahawks | W 23–13 | 10–5 | Mile High Stadium | 74,527 | |
| 16 | December 20 | at Chicago Bears | L 24–35 | 10–6 | Soldier Field | 40,125 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Diego Chargers(3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 478 | 390 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 321 | 289 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 343 | 290 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–6 | 5–7 | 273 | 343 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 6–8 | 322 | 388 | W1 |
References
- ^ a b Zimmerman, Paul (October 19, 1981). "Denver is standing mile-high once again". Sports Illustrated. p. 48.
- ^ a b Mossman, John (December 14, 1981). "Broncos snow Seahawks, 23-13". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 17.
- ^ "Bears, 35-24". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 21, 1981. p. 3C.
- ^ "Bears bust Broncos, damage Denver's hopes". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 21, 1981. p. C2.
- ^ "Red is out, Reeves in at Denver". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 10, 1981. p. 19.
- ^ Reid, Ron (March 10, 1981). "Miller out, Reeves in as Broncos coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 13.
- ^ "Reeves hired as new Bronco coach". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). Associated Press. March 11, 1981. p. G2.
- ^ 2010 Denver Broncos Media Guide. p. 365. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
- ^ "Viking comeback falls just short". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. November 3, 1981. p. 18.
External links
- Denver Broncos – 1981 media guide
- 1981 Denver Broncos at Pro-Football-Reference.com
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