| Team: | Minnesota Vikings |
| Year: | 1981 |
| Record: | 7–9 |
| Division Place: | 4th NFC Central |
| Coach: | Bud Grant |
| General Manager: | Mike Lynn |
| Stadium: | Metropolitan Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | LB Matt Blair WR Ahmad Rashad TE Joe Senser |
| Uniform: | File:Vikings1975-86.png |
| Shortnavlink: | Vikings seasons |
The 1981 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 21st in the National Football League, their 15th under head coach Bud Grant, and their final season at Metropolitan Stadium. They finished with a 7–9 record, and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
The Vikings attempted 709 passes in 1981 (44.3 per game), a league record that stood for 30 years until it was broken by the 2012 Detroit Lions.[1]
See main article: article and 1981 NFL draft.
| Pro Bowler |
| 1981 Minnesota Vikings Draft | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft order | Player name | Position | College | Notes | ||
| Round | Selection | |||||
| 18 | Traded to the Baltimore Colts | |||||
| 2 | 39 | from Colts | ||||
| 45 | ||||||
| 52 | from Rams via Redskins and Colts | |||||
| 3 | 71 | Traded to the New Orleans Saints | ||||
| 74 | from Patriots | |||||
| 4 | 101 | |||||
| 5 | 123 | Wendell Ray | from Colts | |||
| 128 | Traded to the New Orleans Saints | |||||
| 6 | 154 | Traded to the Miami Dolphins | ||||
| 7 | 184 | Don Shaver | ||||
| 8 | 210 | bgcolor=lightsteelblue | ||||
| 9 | 237 | Traded to the Seattle Seahawks | ||||
| 10 | 266 | |||||
| 11 | 293 | Bill Stephanos | ||||
| 12 | 320 | Brian Williams | ||||
The Vikings traded their first-round selection (18th overall) to the Baltimore Colts in exchange for the Colts' second- and fifth-round selections (39th and 123rd overall) and the second-round selection they received from the Redskins (52nd overall).
The Vikings traded their third- and fifth-round selections (71st and 128th overall) to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for T Steve Riley.
The Vikings traded RB Chuck Foreman to the New England Patriots in exchange for the Patriots' third-round selection (74th overall).
The Vikings traded their sixth-round selection (154th overall) and 1982 fifth-round selection (120th overall) to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for C Jim Langer.
The Vikings traded their ninth-round selection (236th overall) to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for T Nick Bebout.
| Amory Bodin | Running back | Minnesota Duluth | |
| Ronald Coccimiglio | Defensive back | California | |
| Bob Farra | Quarterback | Claremont | |
| Marcus Fisher | Defensive back | Montana | |
| David Gutzke | Safety | Princeton | |
| Freddie Smith | Running back | Auburn |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance[2] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 8 | Miami Dolphins | L 6–20 | 0–1 | Metropolitan Stadium | 45,165 | |
| 2 | August 14 | at Washington Redskins | L 13–27 | 0–2 | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | 44,662 | |
| 3 | August 22 | Atlanta Falcons | W 20–19 | 1–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 42,908 | |
| 4 | August 27 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 31–34 | 1–3 | Anaheim Stadium | 60,141 |
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, they lost 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, throwing for 3,912 yards and 26 touchdowns. However, Kramer also threw 24 interceptions in 1981. The 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 ball carrier, 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 1981 season.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 5 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 13–21 | 0–1 | Tampa Stadium | 66,287 | |
| 2 | September 14 | Oakland Raiders | L 10–36 | 0–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,186 | |
| 3 | September 20 | Detroit Lions | W 26–24 | 1–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 45,350 | |
| 4 | September 27 | at Green Bay Packers | W 30–13 | 2–2 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 55,012 | |
| 5 | October 4 | Chicago Bears | W 24–21 | 3–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 43,827 | |
| 6 | October 11 | at San Diego Chargers | W 33–31 | 4–2 | San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium | 50,708 | |
| 7 | October 18 | W 35–23 | 5–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 45,459 | ||
| 8 | October 25 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 17–30 | 5–3 | Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium | 48,039 | |
| 9 | November 2 | at Denver Broncos | L 17–19 | 5–4 | Mile High Stadium | 74,834 | |
| 10 | November 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 25–10 | 6–4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,038 | |
| 11 | November 15 | New Orleans Saints | W 20–10 | 7–4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 45,215 | |
| 12 | November 23 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 30–31 | 7–5 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 54,086 | |
| 13 | November 29 | Green Bay Packers | L 23–35 | 7–6 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,025 | |
| 14 | December 6 | at Chicago Bears | L 9–10 | 7–7 | Soldier Field | 50,766 | |
| 15 | December 12 | at Detroit Lions | L 7–45 | 7–8 | Pontiac Silverdome | 79,428 | |
| 16 | December 20 | L 6–10 | 7–9 | Metropolitan Stadium | 41,110 |
| width=150px style="" | Category | width=150px style="" | Player(s) | width=75px style="" | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | 3,912 | ||||
| Passing touchdowns | 26 | ||||
| Rushing yards | 1,063 | ||||
| Rushing touchdowns | 6 | ||||
| Receiving yards | 1,004 | ||||
| Receiving touchdowns | 8 | ||||
| Points | 97 | ||||
| Kickoff return yards | 898 | ||||
| Punt return yards | 303 | ||||
| Tackles | 230 | ||||
| Interceptions | 4 |
| width=150px style="" | Category | width=100px style="" | Total yards | width=110px style="" | Yards per game | width=80px style="" | NFL rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 4,333 | 270.8 | 2nd | ||||
| Rushing offense | 1,512 | 94.5 | 28th | ||||
| Total offense | 5,845 | 365.3 | 6th | ||||
| Passing defense | 3,328 | 208.0 | 18th | ||||
| Rushing defense | 2,045 | 127.8 | 15th | ||||
| Total defense | 5,373 | 335.8 | 17th |