| 1981 Chicago Bears season |
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| Owner | George Halas |
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| Head coach | Neill Armstrong |
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| General manager | Jim Finks |
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| Home field | Soldier Field |
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| Results |
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| Record | 6–10 |
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| Division place | 5th NFC Central |
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| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
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The 1981 season was the Chicago Bears' 62nd in the National Football League, and their fourth under head coach Neill Armstrong. The team failed to improve on their 7–9 record from 1980 to finish at 6–10, and failed to make the playoffs for the second consecutive season. At the end of the season, Neill Armstrong was fired by the Bears.
NFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
Roster
1981 Chicago Bears final roster | |
| | Quarterbacks Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends - 87 Mike Cobb
- 81 Robin Earl
- 85 Bob Fisher
- 43 Emery Moorehead
- 83 Brooks Williams
| | Offensive linemen Defensive linemen | | Linebackers Defensive backs Special teams - 6 Hans Nielsen K
- 86 Bob Parsons P
- 9 John Roveto K
| | Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
|
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
| 1 | September 6, 1981 | Green Bay Packers | L 16–9 | 62,411 |
| 2 | September 13, 1981 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 28–17 | 49,520 |
| 3 | September 20, 1981 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 28–17 | 60,130 |
| 4 | September 28, 1981 | Los Angeles Rams | L 24–7 | 62,461 |
| 5 | October 4, 1981 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 24–21 | 43,827 |
| 6 | October 11, 1981 | Washington Redskins | L 24–7 | 57,683 |
| 7 | October 19, 1981 | at Detroit Lions | L 48–17 | 71,273 |
| 8 | October 25, 1981 | San Diego Chargers | W 20–17 | 52,906 |
| 9 | November 1, 1981 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 20–10 | 63,688 |
| 10 | November 8, 1981 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 16–13 | 60,605 |
| 11 | November 15, 1981 | at Green Bay Packers | L 21–17 | 55,338 |
| 12 | November 22, 1981 | Detroit Lions | L 23–7 | 50,082 |
| 13 | November 26, 1981 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 10–9 | 63,499 |
| 14 | December 6, 1981 | Minnesota Vikings | W 10–9 | 50,766 |
| 15 | December 13, 1981 | at Oakland Raiders | W 23–6 | 40,384 |
| 16 | December 20, 1981 | Denver Broncos | W 35–24 | 40,125 |
Game summaries
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|
| Buccaneers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 | | • Bears | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 | - Date: September 20
- Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
- Game start: 2:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 58°F; wind 8
|
|
| Scoring summary |
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| | Q1 | | TB | Washington 29 yard interception return (Yepremian kick) | TB 7–0 | | | Q2 | | CHI | Suhey 1 yard run (Nielsen kick) | Tie 7–7 | | | Q2 | | CHI | Fisher 88 yard interception return (Nielsen kick) | CHI 14–7 | | | Q3 | | TB | House 11 yard pass from Williams (Yepremian kick) | Tie 14–14 | | | Q3 | | CHI | Evans 8 yard run (Nielsen kick) | CHI 21–14 | | | Q4 | | TB | Yepremian 32 yard field goal | CHI 21–17 | | | Q4 | | CHI | Williams 18 yard pass from Evans (Nielsen kick) | CHI 28–17 |
|
[1]
Week 8
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
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| Chargers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 | | • Bears | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 20 | - Date: October 25
- Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
- Game start: 4:00 p.m.
- Game weather: 39°F; wind 9
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- Television network: NBC
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|
| Scoring summary |
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| | Q1 | | CHI | Suhey 7 yard run (Roveto kick) | CHI 7–0 | | | Q2 | | SD | Benirschke 18 yard field goal | CHI 7–3 | | | Q2 | | CHI | Roveto 31 yard field goal | CHI 10–3 | | | Q4 | | SD | Joiner 22 yard pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick) | Tie 10–10 | | | Q4 | | CHI | Payton 2 yard run (Roveto kick) | CHI 17–10 | | | Q4 | | SD | Chandler 39 yard pass from Fouts (Benirschke kick) | Tie 17–17 | | | OT | | CHI | Roveto 26 yard field goal | CHI 20–17 |
|
[2]
Week 15
Chicago Bears (4–10) at Oakland Raiders (7–7)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 23 |
| Raiders | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, California
| Scoring summary |
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | | Plays | Yards | TOP | CHI | OAK | | 1 | | | | | Bears | Watts 42-yard touchdown reception from Evans, Roveto kick good | 7 | 0 | | 1 | | | | | Raiders | Chandler 27-yard touchdown reception from Wilson, Bahr kick no good | 7 | 6 | | 3 | | | | | Bears | Watts 3-yard touchdown reception from Evans, Roveto kick good | 14 | 6 | | 3 | | | | | Bears | Margerum 22-yard touchdown reception from Evans, Roveto kick good | 21 | 6 | | 4 | | | | | Bears | Wilson tackled in end zone for a safety by Plank | 23 | 6 | | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 23 | 6 | |
Week 16
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|
| Broncos | 3 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 24 | | • Bears | 0 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 35 | |
|
| Scoring summary |
|---|
| | 1 | | DEN | Fred Steinfort 46 yard field goal | Broncos 3–0 | | | 2 | | CHI | Walter Payton 19 yard pass from Vince Evans (John Roveto kick) | Bears 7–3 | | | 2 | | CHI | Roland Harper 4 yard run (John Roveto kick) | Bears 14–3 | | | 3 | | CHI | Gary Fencik 69 yard interception return (John Roveto kick) | Bears 21–3 | | | 3 | | DEN | Riley Odoms 6 yard pass from Craig Morton (Fred Steinfort kick) | Bears 21–10 | | | 3 | | CHI | Al Harris 44 yard interception return (John Roveto kick) | Bears 28–10 | | | 3 | | DEN | Rick Upchurch 25 yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Fred Steinfort kick) | Bears 28–17 | | | 4 | | CHI | Walter Payton 7 yard pass from Vince Evans (John Roveto kick) | Bears 35–17 | | | 4 | | DEN | Rick Upchurch 39 yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Fred Steinfort kick) | Bears 35–24 |
|
[3]
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 |
References
External links
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