| 1981 Atlanta Falcons season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Rankin M. Smith Sr. |
| General manager | Eddie LeBaron |
| Head coach | Leeman Bennett |
| Home field | Fulton County Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | RBWilliam Andrews QBSteve Bartkowski WRAlfred Jenkins CJeff van Note TMike Kenn TEJunior Miller GR. C. Thielemann |
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The 1981 Atlanta Falcons season was the Falcons' 16th season. The Falcons got off to a solid 3–0 start, but lost three key starters for the season in a 34–17 win at Fulton County Stadium over the San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons would go on to finish the season with a 7–9 record, losing seven games by five points or less, thus missing the playoffs for the first time since 1979.
| 1981 Atlanta Falcons draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | Bobby Butler | Cornerback | Florida State | |
| Made roster | |||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6 | New Orleans Saints | W 27–0 | 1–0 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,406 | |
| 2 | September 13 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 31–17 | 2–0 | Lambeau Field | 55,382 | |
| 3 | September 20 | San Francisco 49ers | W 34–17 | 3–0 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 56,653 | |
| 4 | September 27 | atCleveland Browns | L 17–28 | 3–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,283 | |
| 5 | October 5 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 13–16 | 3–2 | Veterans Stadium | 71,488 | |
| 6 | October 11 | Los Angeles Rams | L 35–37 | 3–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,841 | |
| 7 | October 18 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 41–20 | 4–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 51,428 | |
| 8 | October 25 | New York Giants | L 24–27 | 4–4 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 48,410 | |
| 9 | November 1 | atNew Orleans Saints | W 41–10 | 5–4 | Louisiana Superdome | 63,637 | |
| 10 | November 8 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 14–17 | 5–5 | Candlestick Park | 59,127 | |
| 11 | November 15 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–34 | 5–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,485 | |
| 12 | November 23 | Minnesota Vikings | W 31–30 | 6–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 54,086 | |
| 13 | November 29 | atHouston Oilers | W 31–27 | 7–6 | Houston Astrodome | 40,201 | |
| 14 | December 6 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L 23–24 | 7–7 | Tampa Stadium | 69,221 | |
| 15 | December 14 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 16–21 | 7–8 | Anaheim Stadium | 57,054 | |
| 16 | December 20 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 28–30 | 7–9 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 35,972 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| San Francisco 49ers(1) | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10-2 | 357 | 250 | W5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 426 | 355 | L3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 303 | 351 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 2–10 | 207 | 378 | L4 |
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| Franchise |
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| Stadiums |
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| Culture |
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| Lore |
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| Rivalries |
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| Wild card / First round berths (8) |
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| Division championships (6) |
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| Conference championships (2) |
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| Ring of Honor |
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| Current league affiliations |
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Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance |
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