1981 Cincinnati Bengals season

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.

1981 Cincinnati Bengals season
Owner	Paul Brown
General manager	Paul Brown
Head coach	Forrest Gregg
Home stadium	Riverfront Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC Central
Playoffs	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 Bengals playing against the 49ers in Super Bowl XVI.

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

Main article: 1981 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 Offensive Coordinator/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 (QB) 14 Ken Anderson 15 Turk Schonert 12 Jack Thompson Running backs (RB) 40 Charles Alexander 45 Archie Griffin 36 Jimmy Hargrove 46 Pete Johnson Wide receivers (WR) 84 Don Bass 80 Cris Collinsworth 85 Isaac Curtis 86 Steve Kreider 87 Pat McInally P 81 David Verser Tight ends (TE) 83 M. L. Harris 89 Dan Ross

Offensive linemen (OL) 58 Blair Bush C 62 Dave Lapham G 65 Max Montoya G 60 Blake Moore C 78 Anthony Muñoz T 68 Mike Obrovac G/T 77 Mike Wilson T Defensive linemen (DL) 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 (LB) 50 Glenn Cameron ILB 52 Tom Dinkel OLB 49 Guy Frazier OLB 53 Bo Harris OLB 55 Jim LeClair ILB 51 Rick Razzano ILB 59 Jeff Schuh OLB 57 Reggie Williams OLB Defensive backs (DB) 34 Louis Breeden CB 21 Oliver Davis SS 42 Mike Fuller FS 44 Ray Griffin FS 27 Bryan Hicks FS 26 Bobby Kemp SS 13 Ken Riley CB 25 John Simmons CB Special teams (ST) 10 Jim Breech K

Reserve 74 Glenn Bujnoch G (IR) 66 Jim Hannula T (IR) 37 Robert Jackson S (IR) 30 Dick Jauron S (IR) 29 Samoa Samoa RB (IR) 56 Ron Simpkins LB (IR) 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

Team	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

Team	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
• Television network: NBC

Week 3

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	0	0	7	7
• Saints	0	0	7	10	17

• Date: October 25
• Location: Louisiana Superdome
• Game weather: Indoors (dome)
• Referee: Tom Dooley

Week 9

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Bengals	14	14	0	13	41
Browns	0	7	0	14	21

• Date: November 29
• Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium
• Game start: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C); wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
• Referee: 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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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

Team	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]