| Team: | Cleveland Browns |
| Year: | 1981 |
| Coach: | Sam Rutigliano |
| Owner: | Art Modell |
| Stadium: | Cleveland Municipal Stadium |
| Radio: | WHK |
| Record: | 5–11 |
| Division Place: | 4th AFC Central |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | None |
| Shortnavlink: | Browns seasons |
The 1981 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 32nd season with the National Football League. In a highly disappointing season filled with a number of key injuries at different stretches during the campaign, the Browns finished the year with five straight defeats, their longest losing streak since 1975, and dropped seven of their final eight games. By contrast, in 1980, the Browns enjoyed a five-game winning streak.
The Browns had a similar kind of season in 1981—eight of the games were decided by six points or less, and five were decided by three points or less. Sipe threw more interceptions (25) than TDs (17), his completion rate fell to just over 55 percent and his quarterback rating plummeted to 68.2. FB Mike Pruitt rushed for more than 1,000 yards (1,103) for the third straight year in 1981, and caught 63 passes for the second season in a row. Tight end Ozzie Newsome set a team record (since broken) for receptions with 69 and had the second-most receiving yards in Browns history at the time with 1,002.
HB Greg Pruitt established a personal best with 65 catches.[1]
Ironically, through the 1981 Browns are the only team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to have beaten both eventual Super Bowl participants, the Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers and the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals, while finishing with a losing record.
The following were selected in the 1981 NFL draft.
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | School/Club team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Hanford Dixon | Defensive back | Southern Miss | |
| 4 | 92 | Mike Robinson | Defensive end | Arizona | |
| 5 | 134 | Steve Cox | Punter | Arkansas | |
| 6 | 160 | Ron Simmons | Defensive tackle | Florida State | |
| 7 | 187 | Eddie Johnson | Linebacker | Louisville | |
| 9 | 244 | Randy Schleusener | Guard | Nebraska | |
| 10 | 271 | Dean Prater | Defensive end | Oklahoma State | |
| 11 | 298 | Larry Friday | Defensive back | Mississippi State | |
| 12 | 325 | Kevin McGill | Offensive tackle | Oregon |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Chargers | L 14–44 | 0–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,904 | Recap | ||
| 2 | September 13 | Houston Oilers | L 3–9 | 0–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 79,483 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 20 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–17 | 1–2 | Riverfront Stadium | 52,170 | Recap | |
| 4 | September 27 | Atlanta Falcons | W 28–17 | 2–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,283 | Recap | |
| 5 | October 4 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 16–27 | 2–3 | Anaheim Stadium | 63,924 | Recap | |
| 6 | October 11 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–13 | 2–4 | Three Rivers Stadium | 53,255 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 18 | New Orleans Saints | W 20–17 | 3–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 76,059 | Recap | |
| 8 | October 25 | Baltimore Colts | W 42–28 | 4–4 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 78,986 | Recap | |
| 9 | November 1 | at Buffalo Bills | L 13–22 | 4–5 | Rich Stadium | 78,266 | Recap | |
| 10 | November 8 | at Denver Broncos | L 20–23 (OT) | 4–6 | Mile High Stadium | 74,859 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 15 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 15–12 | 5–6 | Candlestick Park | 52,455 | Recap | |
| 12 | November 22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 10–32 | 5–7 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 77,958 | Recap | |
| 13 | November 29 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 21–41 | 5–8 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 75,186 | Recap | |
| 14 | at Houston Oilers | L 13–17 | 5–9 | Houston Astrodome | 44,502 | Recap | ||
| 15 | New York Jets | L 13–14 | 5–10 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 56,866 | Recap | ||
| 16 | December 20 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 21–42 | 5–11 | Kingdome | 51,435 | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||