1981 New England Patriots season

1981 New England Patriots season
Head coach	Ron Erhardt
General manager	Bucko Kilroy
Owner	Billy Sullivan
Home field	Schaeffer Stadium
Results
Record	2–14
Division place	T-4th AFC East
Playoff finish	did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	G John Hannah
AP All-Pros	G John Hannah (1st team)

The 1981 New England Patriots season was the team's 22nd, and 12th in the National Football League. The Patriots finished the season with a record of two wins and fourteen losses, and finished tied for last in the AFC East division.

The team lost their first four games, and then ten of their last eleven, including the last nine games of the season. The Patriots were defeated in both the first and last games of the season by the Baltimore Colts; the Patriots' bookend losses proved to be Baltimore's only two wins of the 1981 season. It was known that the loser of that last game would have the first pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, and the game was nicknamed "The Stupor Bowl." With the Patriot loss, the team had the first pick, choosing University of Texas defensive end Kenneth Sims, an eventual draft "bust" as first overall pick in the NFL draft.

Staff

New England Patriots 1981 staff
Front Office President – Billy Sullivan Executive Vice President – Chuck Sullivan General Manager – Bucko Kilroy Assistant General Manager – Patrick Sullivan Director of Player Development – Dick Steinberg Director of College Scouting – Joe Mendes Director of Pro Scouting – Bill McPeak Head Coaches Head Coach – Ron Erhardt Offensive Coaches Quarterbacks – Babe Parilli Offensive Backfield – Bobby Grier Receivers – Raymond Berry Offensive Line – Jim Ringo			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line – Fritz Shurmur Linebackers – Rick Lantz Defensive Backs – Dick Roach Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Gino Cappelletti

Season summary

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 6, 1981	Baltimore Colts	L 29–28	49,572
2	September 13, 1981	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 13–3	71,089
3	September 21, 1981	Dallas Cowboys	L 35–21	60,311
4	September 27, 1981	at Pittsburgh Steelers	L 27–21	53,344
5	October 4, 1981	Kansas City Chiefs	W 33–17	55,931
6	October 11, 1981	at New York Jets	L 28–24	55,093
7	October 18, 1981	Houston Oilers	W 38–10	60,474
8	October 25, 1981	at Washington Redskins	L 24–22	50,394
9	November 1, 1981	at Oakland Raiders	L 27–17	44,246
10	November 8, 1981	Miami Dolphins	L 30–27	60,436
11	November 15, 1981	New York Jets	L 17–6	45,342
12	November 22, 1981	at Buffalo Bills	L 20–17	71,593
13	November 29, 1981	St. Louis Cardinals	L 27–20	39,946
14	December 6, 1981	at Miami Dolphins	L 24–14	50,421
15	December 13, 1981	Buffalo Bills	L 19–10	42,549
16	December 20, 1981	at Baltimore Colts	L 23–21	17,073

Standings

AFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Miami Dolphins^(2)	11	4	1	.719	5–2–1	8–3–1	345	275	W4
New York Jets^(4)	10	5	1	.656	6–1–1	8–5–1	355	287	W2
Buffalo Bills^(5)	10	6	0	.625	6–2	9–3	311	276	L1
Baltimore Colts	2	14	0	.125	2–6	2–10	259	533	W1
New England Patriots	2	14	0	.125	0–8	2–10	322	370	L9

Roster

All of the following players appeared in at least one game for the 1981 New England Patriots.

Name	Position	Notes

See also

• New England Patriots seasons