1981 San Diego Chargers season (original) (raw)

dbo:abstract

The 1981 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League (NFL) and its 22nd overall. The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1980 and finished 10-6. In the playoffs, they beat the Dolphins in a game known as the Epic in Miami and lost to the Bengals in a game known as the Freezer Bowl. 1981 was the second straight season in which the Chargers reached the AFC Championship Game, as well as their second consecutive loss. During this season, the Chargers lost two key players by way of trade. Before Week 3, wide receiver John Jefferson was dealt to the Green Bay Packers, while defensive end Fred Dean would be dealt to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers by Week 5. The Chargers brought in Wes Chandler from New Orleans to replace Jefferson - after a slow start, he finished with 857 yards from 12 games (he had 1,142 yards on the season, counting his four games with the Saints). The other starting wideout was Charlie Joiner, who had one of his best seasons at age 34, gaining a career-high 1,188 yards and matching his career-best with 7 touchdowns. Rounding out the trio of receiving stars, tight end Kellen Winslow led the league in receptions for the second consecutive year, finishing with 88 catches for 1,075 yards and 10 touchdowns. Quarterback Dan Fouts broke the NFL record for passing yardage for the third consecutive season, averaging 300 yards per game for the first time as he totalled 4,802. His touchdown-to-interception ratio was the best of his career, at 33 to 17. He was helped in this by a strong offensive line, anchored by veterans Russ Washington and Doug Wilkerson, which conceded only 19 sacks from 16 games, their best performance through Fouts' 15 years with the club. Running back Chuck Muncie enjoyed his best season, running for 1,144 yards and 19 touchdowns, tying the then-NFL season record for rushing touchdowns. With rookie James Brooks and John Cappelletti also contributing, San Diego rushed for over 2,000 yards for the only time during the pass-focussed Don Coryell's tenure. While the offense was soaring to new heights, the defense collapsed in Dean's absence, becoming among the league's worst. They continued to be tough against the run, but with veteran safety Glen Edwards absent with injury through the first half of the season, they dropped to dead last against the pass - the 4,311 yards they conceded were a new NFL record. On the plus side, they did manage an above-average 23 interceptions, with Willie Buchanon snagging a team-leading 5. San Diego's sack count declined somewhat from 60 to 47, tied for third-best in the NFL. New starter John Woodcock tied with Gary Johnson as team-leaders, each managing 9.5 sacks. On special teams, James Brooks put in a strong performance: his 13.2 yards per punt return was 2nd best in the league; with 23.7 yards per kickoff return, he ranked seventh. Rolf Benirschke made 19 of 26 field goals, including two late game-winners. The season was chronicled on September 18, 2008 for America's Game: The Missing Rings, as one of the five greatest NFL teams to never win the Super Bowl. (en)

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(en)
DT Louie Kelcher (en)
DT Gary Johnson (en)
G Doug Wilkerson (en)
RB Chuck Muncie (en)
TE Kellen Winslow (en)

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*Defensive Coordinator – Jack Pardee (en)

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*Owner – Eugene V. Klein (en)

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*Head Coach – Don Coryell (en)

dbp:home

Bears (en)
Dolphins (en)
Broncos (en)
Browns (en)
Colts (en)
Seahawks (en)
Chargers (en)
Raiders (en)
Chiefs (en)
Bengals (en)
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*Offensive Coordinator – Larrye Weaver (en)

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dbp:playoffs

Lost AFC Championship 7–27 (en)
Won Divisional Playoffs 41–38 (en)

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(en)
QB Dan Fouts (en)
DT Gary Johnson (en)
G Doug Wilkerson (en)
RB Chuck Muncie (en)
TE Kellen Winslow (en)

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Ben Dreith (en)
Jerry Markbreit (en)
Bob Frederic (en)
Fred Wyant (en)
Gene Barth (en)
Jerry Seeman (en)
Bob McElwee (en)

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dbp:road

Bills (en)
Lions (en)
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Broncos (en)
Seahawks (en)
Chargers (en)
Raiders (en)
Chiefs (en)
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*Scoring **CIN – field goal Breech 31 CIN 3–0 **CIN – Harris 8 pass from Anderson CIN 10–0 **SD – Winslow 33 pass from Fouts CIN 10–7 **CIN – Johnson 1 run CIN 17–7 **CIN – field goal Breech 38 CIN 20–7 **CIN – Bass 3 pass from Anderson CIN 27–7 (en)
;First quarter *SD Rolf Benirschke 32-yard FG *SD Wes Chandler 58-yard punt return *SD Chuck Muncie 1 yard run *SD James Brooks 8-yard pass from Fouts ;Second quarter *MIA Uwe von Schamann 34-yard FG *MIA Joe Rose 1 yard pass from Strock *MIA Nathan 25-yard pass from Strock ;Third quarter *MIA Rose 15-yard pass from Strock *SD Winslow 25-yard pass from Fouts *MIA Bruce Hardy 50-yard pass from Strock ;Fourth quarter *MIA Nathan 12-yard run *SD Brooks 9-yard pass from Fouts ;Overtime *SD Benirschke 29-yard FG (en)

dbp:shortnavlink

Chargers seasons (en)

dbp:stadium

dbp:state

autocollapse (en)

dbp:stats

;Top passers * SD – Dan Fouts – 33/53, 433 YDS, 3 TD, INT * MIA – Don Strock – 29/43, 403 YDS, 4 TD, INT ;Top rushers * SD – Chuck Muncie – 24 CAR, 120 YDS, TD * MIA – Tony Nathan – 14 CAR, 48 YDS, TD ;Top receivers * SD – Kellen Winslow – 13 REC, 166 YDS, TD * MIA – Tony Nathan – 9 REC, 114 YDS, TD (en)

dbp:team

San Diego Chargers (en)

dbp:teamname

San Diego Chargers (en)

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120.0 (dbd:second)
180.0 (dbd:second)
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dbp:title

Week Fourteen: Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers – Game summary (en)
Week Four: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary (en)
Week Ten: Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers – Game summary (en)
Week Thirteen: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – Game summary (en)
AFC Divisional Playoffs: San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary (en)
Week Six: Minnesota Vikings at San Diego Chargers – Game summary (en)
Week Two: Detroit Lions at San Diego Chargers – Game summary (en)
Week Eleven: San Diego Chargers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary (en)
AFC Divisional Playoffs: San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins – Game summary (en)
Week Twelve: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary (en)
Week Fifteen: San Diego Chargers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary (en)
Week Three: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary (en)
Week Five: Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers – Game summary (en)
Week Eight: San Diego Chargers at Chicago Bears – Game summary (en)
Week One: San Diego Chargers at Cleveland Browns – Game summary (en)
Week Nine: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary (en)
Week Sixteen: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary (en)
Week Seven: San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Colts – Game summary (en)

dbp:titlestyle

;text-align:center; (en)

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Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and Don Meredith (en)
Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen (en)
Don Criqui and John Brodie (en)
Merle Harmon and George Kunz (en)
Frank Gifford, Don Meredith & Howard Cosell (en)
Gary Bender and Fred Dryer (en)
Phil Stone & Gene Washington (en)
Phil Stone & John Brodie (en)
Phil Stone and Gene Washington (en)
Tim Ryan and John Dockery (en)

dbp:weather

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Dome (en)
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, relative humidity 69%, wind 13 mph (en)
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rdfs:comment

The 1981 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League (NFL) and its 22nd overall. The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1980 and finished 10-6. In the playoffs, they beat the Dolphins in a game known as the Epic in Miami and lost to the Bengals in a game known as the Freezer Bowl. 1981 was the second straight season in which the Chargers reached the AFC Championship Game, as well as their second consecutive loss. (en)

rdfs:label