1981 Minnesota Vikings season

1981 Minnesota Vikings season
Head coach	Bud Grant
General manager	Mike Lynn
Home field	Metropolitan Stadium
Results
Record	7–9
Division place	4th NFC Central
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1981 Minnesota Vikings season was the team's 21st season, the 62nd regular season of the National Football League, and the final season for the team at Metropolitan Stadium. The Vikings finished with a record of seven wins and nine losses, and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

The Vikings attempted 709 passes in 1981 (44.31 per game) a league record that stood for 30 years until it was broken by the 2012 Detroit Lions.^[1]

Offseason

1981 Draft

=Pro Bowler

1981 Minnesota Vikings Draft
Draft order			Player name	Position	College	Notes
Round	Choice	Overall
1	18	18	Traded to the Baltimore Colts^[a]
2	11	39	Mardye McDole	Wide receiver	Mississippi State	from Colts^[a]
	17	45	Robin Sendlein	Linebacker	Texas-Austin
	24	52	Jarvis Redwine	Running back	Nebraska	from Rams via Redskins and Colts^[a]
3	15	71	Traded to the New Orleans Saints^[b]
	18	74	Tim Irwin	Offensive tackle	Tennessee	from Patriots^[c]
4	18	101	John Swain	Cornerback	Miami
5	12	123	Wendell Ray	Defensive end	Missouri	from Colts^[a]
	17	128	Traded to the New Orleans Saints^[b]
6	16	154	Traded to the Miami Dolphins^[d]
7	18	184	Don Shaver	Running back	Kutztown (PA)
8	17	210	Wade Wilson	Quarterback	Oklahoma
9	16	237	Traded to the Seattle Seahawks^[e]
10	18	266	James Murphy	Wide receiver	Utah State
11	17	293	Bill Stephanos	Offensive tackle	Boston College
12	16	320	Brian Williams	Tight end	Southern

^{^[a]} Baltimore traded two 2nd round selections (39th and 52nd overall) and their 5th round selection (123rd overall) to Minnesota to move up 21 spots to the 18th overall selection and draft DE Donnell Thompson.

^{^[b]} Minnesota traded their 3rd round selection (71st overall) and 5th round selection (128th overall) to New Orleans for OT Steve Riley.

^{^[c]} New England traded their 3rd round selection (74th overall) to Minnesota for RB Chuck Foreman.

^{^[d]} Minnesota traded their 6th round selection (154th overall) and 1982 5th round selection (120th overall) to Miami for OL Jim Langer.

^{^[e]} Minnesota traded their 9th round selection (236th overall) to Seattle for OT Nick Bebout.

Regular Season

After opening the season with back-to-back losses, the Vikings ran off five straight wins and sat near the top of the NFC at midseason. After splitting their next four games, the Vikings were 7–4 and poised for a playoff run—however, the Vikings would lose their last five games to close out the year.

The Vikings were led by quarterback Tommy Kramer, who enjoyed the most productive season of his career by throwing for 3,912 yards and 26 touchdowns. However, Kramer also threw 24 interceptions in 1981. The '81 Vikings set an NFL record for pass attempts with 709.

A trio of offensive standouts paced the Vikings in 1981 at the skill positions. Running back Ted Brown was the team's main ballcarrier, rushing for 1,063 yards and also came in third in the NFL with 83 pass receptions. He scored eight touchdowns. Veteran wide receiver Sammy White also eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career (1,001) and tight end Joe Senser, who would later become a color analyst on radio for the Vikings, logged 1,004 yards receiving with eight touchdowns; Senser went to the Pro Bowl for the '81 season.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Attendance
1	September 5, 1981	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 21-13	Tampa Staium	66,287
2	September 14, 1981	Oakland Raiders	L 36-10	Met Stadium	47,186
3	September 20, 1981	Detroit Lions	W 26-24	Met Stadium	45,350
4	September 27, 1981	at Green Bay Packers	W 30-13	Milwaukee County Stadium	55,012
5	October 4, 1981	Chicago Bears	W 24-21	Met Stadium	43,827
6	October 11, 1981	at San Diego Chargers	W 33-31	San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium	50,708
7	October 18, 1981	Philadelphia Eagles	W 35-23	Met Stadium	45,459
8	October 25, 1981	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 30-17	Busch Stadium	48,039
9	November 2, 1981	at Denver Broncos	L 19-17	Mile High Stadium	74,834
10	November 8, 1981	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 25-10	Met Stadium	47,038
11	November 15, 1981	New Orleans Saints	W 20-10	Met Stadium	45,215
12	November 23, 1981	at Atlanta Falcons	L 31-30	Atlanta Fulton County Stadium	54,086
13	November 29, 1981	Green Bay Packers	L 35-23	Met Stadium	46,025
14	December 6, 1981	at Chicago Bears	L 10-9	Soldier Field	50,766
15	December 12, 1981	at Detroit Lions	L 45-7	Silverdome	79,428
16	December 20, 1981	Kansas City Chiefs	L 10-6	Met Stadium	41,110

Standings

NFC Central
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Tampa Bay Buccaneers^(3)	9	7	0	.563	6–2	9–3	315	268	W1
Detroit Lions	8	8	0	.500	4–4	6–6	397	322	L1
Green Bay Packers	8	8	0	.500	4–4	7–7	324	361	L1
Minnesota Vikings	7	9	0	.438	4–4	6–6	325	369	L5
Chicago Bears	6	10	0	.375	2–6	2–10	253	324	W3

Statistics

Team leaders

Category	Player(s)	Value
Passing Yards	Tommy Kramer	3,912
Passing Touchdowns	Tommy Kramer	26
Rushing Yards	Ted Brown	1,063
Rushing Touchdowns	Ted Brown	6
Receiving Yards	Joe Senser	1,004
Receiving Touchdowns	Joe Senser	8
Points	Rick Danmeier	97
Kickoff Return Yards	Eddie Payton	898
Punt Return Yards	Eddie Payton	303
Tackles	Scott Studwell	230
Interceptions	Tom Hannon Willie Teal	4

• Vikings single season record although tackles were not official until 2001.

League rankings

Category	Total yards	Yards per game	NFL rank (out of 28)
Passing Offense	4,333 Yards	270.8 YPG	2nd
Rushing Offense	1,512 Yards	94.5 YPG	28th
Total Offense	5,845 Yards	365.3 YPG	6th
Passing Defense	3,328 Yards	208.0 YPG	18th
Rushing Defense	2,045 Yards	127.8 YPG	15th
Total Defense	5,373 Yards	335.8 YPG	17th

References

1. Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2012, in the Regular Season, requiring Pass Attempts >= 0, sorted by descending Pass Attempts.