The 1981 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 32nd season with the National Football League. In a highly disappointing season filled with a number of key injuries at different stretches during the campaign, the Browns finished the year with five straight defeats, their longest losing streak since 1975, and dropped seven of their final eight games. By contrast, in 1980, the Browns enjoyed a five-game winning streak.
| 1981 Cleveland Browns season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Art Modell |
| Head coach | Sam Rutigliano |
| Home field | Cleveland Municipal Stadium |
| Local radio | WHK |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 4th AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
| |
The Browns had a similar kind of season in 1981—eight of the games were decided by six points or less, and five were decided by three points or less. Sipe threw more interceptions (25) than TDs (17), his completion rate fell to just over 55 percent and his quarterback rating plummeted to 68.2. FB Mike Pruitt rushed for more than 1,000 yards (1,103) for the third straight year in 1981, and caught 63 passes for the second season in a row. Tight end Ozzie Newsome set a team record (since broken) for receptions with 69 and had the second-most receiving yards in Browns history at the time with 1,002.
HB Greg Pruitt established a personal best with 65 catches.[1]
Ironically, through 2023 the 1981 Browns are the only team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to have beaten both eventual Super Bowl participants, the Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers and the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals, while finishing with a losing record.
The following were selected in the 1981 NFL Draft.
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Hanford Dixon | Defensive back | Southern Miss |
| 4 | 92 | Mike Robinson | Defensive end | Arizona |
| 5 | 134 | Steve Cox | Punter | Arkansas |
| 6 | 160 | Ron Simmons | Defensive tackle | Florida State |
| 7 | 187 | Eddie Johnson | Linebacker | Louisville |
| 9 | 244 | Randy Schleusener | Guard | Nebraska |
| 10 | 271 | Dean Prater | Defensive end | Oklahoma State |
| 11 | 298 | Larry Friday | Defensive back | Mississippi State |
| 12 | 325 | Kevin McGill | Offensive tackle | Oregon |
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | San Diego Chargers | L 14–44 | 0–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,904 | Recap |
| 2 | September 13 | Houston Oilers | L 3–9 | 0–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 79,483 | Recap |
| 3 | September 20 | atCincinnati Bengals | W 20–17 | 1–2 | Riverfront Stadium | 52,170 | Recap |
| 4 | September 27 | Atlanta Falcons | W 28–17 | 2–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,283 | Recap |
| 5 | October 4 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 16–27 | 2–3 | Anaheim Stadium | 63,924 | Recap |
| 6 | October 11 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L 7–13 | 2–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | 53,255 | Recap |
| 7 | October 18 | New Orleans Saints | W 20–17 | 3–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 76,059 | Recap |
| 8 | October 25 | Baltimore Colts | W 42–28 | 4–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,986 | Recap |
| 9 | November 1 | atBuffalo Bills | L 13–22 | 4–5 | Rich Stadium | 78,266 | Recap |
| 10 | November 8 | atDenver Broncos | L 20–23 (OT) | 4–6 | Mile High Stadium | 74,859 | Recap |
| 11 | November 15 | atSan Francisco 49ers | W 15–12 | 5–6 | Candlestick Park | 52,455 | Recap |
| 12 | November 22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 10–32 | 5–7 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 77,958 | Recap |
| 13 | November 29 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 21–41 | 5–8 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 75,186 | Recap |
| 14 | December 3 | atHouston Oilers | L 13–17 | 5–9 | Houston Astrodome | 44,502 | Recap |
| 15 | December 12 | New York Jets | L 13–14 | 5–10 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 56,866 | Recap |
| 16 | December 20 | atSeattle Seahawks | L 21–42 | 5–11 | Kingdome | 51,435 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| AFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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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 |
Week 4: Atlanta Falcons at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Browns | 0 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
atCleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
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