The 1971 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 52nd season the team was in the National Football League and twelfth in St. Louis. Led by first-year head coach Bob Hollway, the Cardinals failed to improve on their previous year's 8–5–1 record, winning only four games.[1] They failed to reach the playoffs for the 23rd straight season, their previous appearance was in 1948 in the championship game.
| 1971 St. Louis Cardinals season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bidwill brothers (Charles, Jr. & Bill) |
| Head coach | Bob Hollway |
| Home field | Busch Memorial Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–9–1 |
| Division place | 4th NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | CB Roger Wehrli |
| |
This was the last season the team was co-owned by Charles Bidwill, Jr.; he sold his share to his younger brother Bill in September 1972.[2] The adopted sons of Charles and Violet Bidwill,[3][4] the two had co-owned the team since their mother's death in January 1962.[5]
Hired in February, Hollway was previously the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings under head coach Bud Grant.[6][7]
| St. Louis Cardinals roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Practice squad
rookies in italics | |||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | Washington Redskins | L 17–24 | 0–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 46,805 | |
| 2 | September 27 | New York Jets | W 17–10 | 1–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,358 | |
| 3 | October 3 | New York Giants | L 20–21 | 1–2 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 49,571 | |
| 4 | October 10 | atAtlanta Falcons | W 26–9 | 2–2 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 | |
| 5 | October 17 | atWashington Redskins | L 0–20 | 2–3 | RFK Stadium | 53,041 | |
| 6 | October 24 | San Francisco 49ers | L 14–26 | 2–4 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,419 | |
| 7 | October 31 | atBuffalo Bills | W 28–23 | 3–4 | War Memorial Stadium | 40,040 | |
| 8 | November 7 | Dallas Cowboys | L 13–16 | 3–5 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,486 | |
| 9 | November 15 | atSan Diego Chargers | L 17–20 | 3–6 | San Diego Stadium | 46,486 | |
| 10 | November 21 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 20–37 | 3–7 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 48,658 | |
| 11 | November 28 | atNew York Giants | W 24–7 | 4–7 | Yankee Stadium | 62,878 | |
| 12 | December 5 | Green Bay Packers | T 16–16 | 4–7–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,443 | |
| 13 | December 12 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 7–19 | 4–8–1 | Veterans Stadium | 65,358 | |
| 14 | December 18 | atDallas Cowboys | L 12–31 | 4–9–1 | Texas Stadium | 66,672 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 7–1 | 8–3 | 406 | 222 | W7 |
| Washington Redskins | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 6–1–1 | 8–2–1 | 276 | 190 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 7 | 1 | .462 | 4–3–1 | 5–5–1 | 221 | 302 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 1–7 | 2–8–1 | 231 | 279 | L2 |
| New York Giants | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 1–7 | 3–8 | 228 | 362 | L5 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.