1981 Green Bay Packers season
NFL team season
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The 1981 Green Bay Packers season was their 63rd season overall and their 61st in the National Football League. The team posted an 8–8 record under coach Bart Starr, earning them a third-place finish in the NFC Central division. Led by the defense the Packers were number one in turnovers forced and number 9th overall. The offense did improve but still finished in the bottom half of the league. Needing a Giants loss or an Eagles win during the final week of the regular season (due to tiebreakers), the Packers gained control of their destiny at earning the final Wild Card spot by winning in their last regular season game but were defeated by the New York Jets 28–3. The Packers managed only 84 total yards against the Jets.
| 1981 Green Bay Packers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Bart Starr |
| Home stadium | Lambeau Field Milwaukee County Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–8 |
| Division place | 3rd Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1981 Green Bay Packers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Rich Campbell | Quarterback | California | |
| 2 | 35 | Gary Lewis | Tight end | Texas–Arlington | |
| 3 | 62 | Ray Stachowicz | Punter | Michigan State | |
| 4 | 105 | Richard Turner | Defensive tackle | Oklahoma | |
| 5 | 117 | Byron Braggs | Defensive end | Alabama | |
| 7 | 172 | Bill Whitaker | Safety | Missouri | |
| 8 | 200 | Larry Werts | Linebacker | Jackson State | |
| 9 | 227 | Tim Huffman | Guard | Notre Dame | |
| 10 | 255 | Nickie Hall | Quarterback | Tulane | |
| 11 | 282 | Forrest Valora | Linebacker | Oklahoma | |
| 12 | 311 | Cliff Lewis | Linebacker | Southern Miss | |
| Made roster | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Chrest | Wide receiver | Wisconsin–La Crosse |
| Bill Kazmaier | Guard | Wisconsin |
| Rick Kehr | Guard | Carthage |
| Greg Knafelc | Tight end | Notre Dame |
| David Petway | Safety | Northern Illinois |
| Randy Scott | Linebacker | Alabama |
| Robert Shackelford | Guard | St. Norbert |
| Pete Thompson | Wide receiver | Carroll (MT) |
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6 | at Chicago Bears | W 16–9 | Soldier Field | 62,411 |
| 2 | September 13 | Atlanta Falcons | L 17–31 | Lambeau Field | 55,382 |
| 3 | September 20 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 23–35 | Anaheim Stadium | 61,286 |
| 4 | September 27 | Minnesota Vikings | L 13–30 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 55,012 |
| 5 | October 4 | at New York Giants | W 27–14 | Giants Stadium | 73,684 |
| 6 | October 11 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10–21 | Lambeau Field | 55,264 |
| 7 | October 18 | San Francisco 49ers | L 3–13 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 50,171 |
| 8 | October 25 | at Detroit Lions | L 27–31 | Pontiac Silverdome | 76,063 |
| 9 | November 1 | Seattle Seahawks | W 34–24 | Lambeau Field | 49,467 |
| 10 | November 8 | New York Giants | W 26–24 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 54,138 |
| 11 | November 15 | Chicago Bears | W 21–17 | Lambeau Field | 55,338 |
| 12 | November 22 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–37 | Tampa Stadium | 63,251 |
| 13 | November 29 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 35–23 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,025 |
| 14 | December 6 | Detroit Lions | W 31–17 | Lambeau Field | 54,481 |
| 15 | December 13 | at New Orleans Saints | W 35–7 | Louisiana Superdome | 45,518 |
| 16 | December 20 | at New York Jets | L 3–28 | Shea Stadium | 56,340 |
Game summaries
Week 1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Packers | 7 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
- Date: September 6
- Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
- Game start: 2:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C); wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
| Q1 | GB | Ivery 2-yard run (Wingo pass from Stachowicz) | GB 8–0 | |
| Q2 | GB | Ellis 5-yard run (kick blocked) | GB 13–0 | |
| Q3 | CHI | Payton 11-yard run (kick failed) | GB 13–6 | |
| Q4 | GB | Stenerud 33-yard field goal | GB 16–6 | |
| Q4 | 3:57 | CHI | Thomas 25-yard field goal | GB 16–9 |
Week 2: vs. Atlanta Falcons
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 31 |
| Packers | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Date: Sunday, September 13
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 73% humidity; 65 °F (18 °C), wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV: CBS
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 7: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 7: San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| Packers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Date: October 18, 1981
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Overcast, 64 °F (18 °C)
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Johnny Morris
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter
|
Week 9: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 9: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| Packers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 34 |
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Team – pass – rush – total – to
|
Week 11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| • Packers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
- Date: November 15
- Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Game start: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C); wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
| Q1 | CHI | Roveto 36-yard field goal | CHI 3–0 | |
| Q1 | GB | Huckleby 1-yard pass from Whitehurst (Stenerud kick) | GB 7–3 | |
| Q1 | CHI | Suhey 1-yard run (Roveto kick) | CHI 10–7 | |
| Q2 | GB | Huckleby 39-yard pass from Whitehurst (Stenerud kick) | GB 14–10 | |
| Q2 | GB | Middleton 2-yard pass from Whitehurst (Stenerud kick) | GB 21—10 | |
| Q4 | CHI | Payton 2-yard run (Roveto kick) | GB 21–17 | |
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 315 | 268 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 397 | 322 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 7–7 | 324 | 361 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 325 | 369 | L5 |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 2–10 | 253 | 324 | W3 |