1981 Pittsburgh Steelers season

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1981 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Head Coach Chuck Noll
Home Field Three Rivers Stadium
Results
Record 8-8
Place 2nd in AFC Central
Playoff Finish none
Timeline
Previous Season Next Season
1980 1982

Contents

[edit] Offseason

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Schedule

Week Date Opponent Time (ET) TV Result
1 Sunday September 6 Kansas City Chiefs 1:00 PM NBC L 37–33
2 Thursday September 10 @Miami Dolphins 8:30 PM ABC L 30–10
3 Sunday September 20 New York Jets 1:00 PM NBC W 38–10
4 Sunday September 27 New England Patriots 1:00 PM NBC W 27–21 (OT)
5 Sunday October 4 @New Orleans Saints 2:00 PM NBC W 20–6
6 Sunday October 11 Cleveland Browns 1:00 PM NBC W 13–7
7 Sunday October 18 @Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 PM NBC L 34–7
8 Monday October 26 Houston Oilers 9:00 PM ABC W 26–13
9 Sunday November 1 San Francisco 49ers 1:00 PM CBS L 17–14
10 Sunday November 8 @Seattle Seahawks 4:00 PM NBC L 24–21
11 Sunday November 15 @Atlanta Falcons 1:00 PM NBC W 34–20
12 Sunday November 22 @Cleveland Browns 1:00 PM NBC W 32–10
13 Sunday November 29 Los Angeles Rams 1:00 PM CBS W 24–0
14 Monday December 7 @Oakland Raiders 9:00 PM ABC L 30–27
15 Sunday December 13 Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 PM NBC L 17–10
16 Sunday December 20 @Houston Oilers 1:00 PM NBC L 21–20

[edit] Game Summaries

[edit] Week 1 (Sunday September 6, 1981): vs. Kansas City Chiefs

1 2 3 4 Total
Chiefs 10 3 10 14 37
Steelers 6 13 7 7 33

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 53,305
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - Swann 18 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)
  • Kansas City - Marshall 48 pass from Kenney (Lowery kick)
  • Kansas City - FG Lowery 35
  • Pittsburgh - Harris 7 run (kick failed)
  • Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Trout kick)
  • Kansas City - FG Lowery 40
  • Kansas City - Carson 53 pass from Kenney (Lowery kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Hawthorne 1 run (Trout kick)
  • Kansas City - FG Lowery 42
  • Kansas City - McKnight 3 run (Lowery kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Smith 41 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Kansas City - Howard 65 fumble return (Lowery kick)

[edit] Week 2 (Thursday September 10, 1981): at Miami Dolphins

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 3 7 0 0 10
Dolphins 0 13 14 3 30

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 23
  • Miami - Woodley 1 run (kick failed)
  • Miami - Franklin 1 run (von Schamann kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Smith 32 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Miami - Nathan 13 pass from Woodley (von Schamann kick)
  • Miami - Vigorito 87 punt return (von Schamann kick)
  • Miami - FG von Schamann 32

[edit] Week 3 (Sunday September 20, 1981): vs. New York Jets

1 2 3 4 Total
Jets 0 3 0 7 10
Steelers 7 10 14 7 38

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 52,973
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - Davis 9 run (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 25
  • Pittsburgh - Pollard 23 run (Trout kick)
  • New York Jets - FG Leahy 47
  • Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 1 run (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Pollard 1 run (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Thornton 1 run (Trout kick)
  • New York Jets - McNeil 17 pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)

[edit] Week 4 (Sunday September 27, 1981): vs. New England Patriots

1 2 3 4 OT Total
Patriots 0 7 0 14 0 21
Steelers 7 7 7 0 6 27

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 53,344
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Cunningham 1 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • New England - Cavanaugh 1 run (Smith kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Trout kick)
  • New England - Collins 10 run (Smith kick)
  • New England - Morgan 12 pass from Cavanaugh (Smith kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Swann 24 pass from Bradshaw

[edit] Week 5 (Sunday October 4, 1981): at New Orleans Saints

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 7 6 0 7 20
Saints 0 3 3 0 6

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Game time: 2:00 PM EDT
  • Game weather: Dome
  • Game attendance: 64,578
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Sam Nover (play by play), Harmon Wages (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - Swann 16 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 25
  • New Orleans - FG Ricardo 26
  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 43
  • New Orleans - FG Ricardo 33
  • Pittsburgh - Stallworth 47 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)

[edit] Week 6 (Sunday October 11, 1981): vs. Cleveland Browns

1 2 3 4 Total
Browns 0 7 0 0 7
Steelers 7 3 0 3 13

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 53,255
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - Stallworth 9 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 19
  • Cleveland - Newsome 29 pass from Sipe (Bahr kick)
  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 23

[edit] Week 7 (Sunday October 18, 1981): at Cincinnati Bengals

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 0 0 0 7 7
Bengals 10 3 14 7 34

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EDT
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 57,090
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Cincinnati - FG Breech 27
  • Cincinnati - Johnson 3 run (Breech kick)
  • Cincinnati - FG Breech 23
  • Cincinnati - Verser 73 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)
  • Cincinnati - Alexander 3 run (Breech kick)
  • Cincinnati - Johnson 5 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Smith 17 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)

[edit] Week 8 (Monday October 26, 1981): vs. Houston Oilers

1 2 3 4 Total
Oilers 0 3 0 10 13
Steelers 10 3 0 13 26

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 9:00 PM EST
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 52,732
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 19
  • Pittsburgh - Smith 46 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Houston - FG Fritsch 34
  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 19
  • Houston - Casper 52 pass from Stabler (Fritsch kick)
  • Houston - FG Fritsch 44
  • Pittsburgh - FG Stallworth 6 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)
  • Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Trout kick)

[edit] Week 9 (Sunday November 1, 1981): vs. San Francisco 49ers

1 2 3 4 Total
49ers 0 10 0 7 17
Steelers 0 0 14 0 14

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EST
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 52,878
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (CBS) Vin Scully (play by play), Hank Stram (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • San Francisco - Young 5 pass from Montana (Wersching kick)
  • San Francisco - FG Wersching 45
  • Pittsburgh - Blount 50 interception return (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Smith 22 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • San Francisco - Easley 1 run (Wersching kick)

[edit] Week 10 (Sunday November 8, 1981): at Seattle Seahawks

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 7 14 0 0 21
Seahawks 3 7 0 14 24

at The Kingdome, Seattle, Washington

  • Game time: 4:00 PM EST
  • Game weather: Dome
  • Game attendance: 59,058
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Jim Turner (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - Harris 6 run (Trout kick)
  • Seattle - FG Herrera 37
  • Pittsburgh - Malone 90 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Thornton 4 run (Trout kick)
  • Seattle - Doornink 44 pass from Zorn (Herrera kick)
  • Seattle - T. Brown 1 run (Herrera kick)
  • Seattle - T. Brown 1 run (Herrera kick)

[edit] Week 11 (Sunday November 15, 1981): at Atlanta Falcons

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 7 7 13 7 34
Falcons 0 7 3 10 20

at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EST
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 57,485
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - Cunningham 18 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Stallworth 6 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Atlanta - Jackson 35 pass from Bartkowski (Luckhurst kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Stallworth 19 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Atlanta - FG Luckhurst 43
  • Pittsburgh - Grossman 14 pass from Bradshaw (kick blocked)
  • Atlanta - Jenkins 30 pass from Bartkowski (Luckhurst kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Swann 22 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Atlanta - FG Luckhurst 22

[edit] Week 12 (Sunday November 22, 1981): at Cleveland Browns

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 12 0 6 14 32
Browns 3 7 0 0 10

at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EST
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 77,958
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Cleveland - FG Bahr 33
  • Pittsburgh - Hawthorne 1 run (kick failed)
  • Pittsburgh - Thornton 3 run (kick failed)
  • Cleveland - Logan 13 pass from Sipe (Bahr kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Harris 2 run (kick failed)
  • Pittsburgh - Pinney 1 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Moser 5 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)

[edit] Week 13 (Sunday November 29, 1981): vs. Los Angeles Rams

1 2 3 4 Total
Rams 0 0 0 0 0
Steelers 7 14 3 0 24

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EST
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 51,854
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (CBS) Vin Scully (play by play), Hank Stram (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Swann 9 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 1 run (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 21

[edit] Week 14 (Monday December 7, 1981): at Oakland Raiders

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 7 7 6 7 27
Raiders 0 7 7 16 30

at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - Cunningham 5 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
  • Oakland - Ramsey 25 pass from Wilson (Bahr kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Smith 19 pass from Malone (Trout kick)
  • Oakland - Whittington 17 pass from Wilson (Bahr kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Malone 11 run (kick failed)
  • Oakland - Chandler 36 pass from Wilson (kick failed)
  • Oakland - Watts 53 punt return (Bahr kick)
  • Oakland - FG Bahr 29
  • Pittsburgh - Smith 17 pass from Malone (Trout kick)

[edit] Week 15 (Sunday December 13, 1981): vs. Cincinnati Bengals

1 2 3 4 Total
Bengals 0 10 7 0 17
Steelers 0 3 0 7 10

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EST
  • Game weather:
  • Game attendance: 50,623
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Sam Nover (play by play), Dave Rowe (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 48
  • Cincinnati - FG Breech 38
  • Cincinnati - Curtis 2 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)
  • Cincinnati - Kreider 22 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Harris 2 pass from Malone (Trout kick)

[edit] Week 16 (Sunday December 20, 1981): at Houston Oilers

1 2 3 4 Total
Steelers 3 3 14 0 20
Oilers 7 7 0 7 21

at Astrodome, Houston, Texas

  • Game time: 1:00 PM EST
  • Game weather: Dome
  • Game attendance: 41,056
  • Referee:
  • TV announcers: (NBC) Phil Stone (play by play), Gene Washington (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:

  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 40
  • Houston - Casper 15 pass from Neilsen (Fritsch kick)
  • Houston - Casper 23 pass from Neilsen (Fritsch kick)
  • Pittsburgh - FG Trout 37
  • Pittsburgh - Thornton 17 run (Trout kick)
  • Pittsburgh - Malone 2 run (Trout kick)
  • Houston - Casper 16 pass from Neilsen (Fritsch kick)

[edit] References

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Current League Affiliations
1981 NFL season
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