1961 Season — Final Standings (NFL & AFL)
Final regular-season standings. The AFL's Chargers relocated from Los Angeles to San Diego after just one season (financial losses forced the January 1961 move to Balboa Stadium) and improved to 12-2, but again lost the AFL Championship Game to Houston, 10-3, making the Oilers back-to-back champions. The NFL added its second expansion team in as many years, the Minnesota Vikings (Western Conference), while Vince Lombardi's Packers avenged their 1960 title-game defeat with a 37-0 rout of the New York Giants for Green Bay's first championship of the Lombardi dynasty.
NFL — Eastern Conference
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NYGNew York Giants | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | - |
| — | PEPhiladelphia Eagles | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 0.5 |
| — | CBCleveland Browns | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 2 |
| — | SLCSt. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3.5 |
| — | PSPittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4.5 |
| — | DCDallas Cowboys | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 6 |
| — | WRWashington Redskins | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 9 |
NFL — Western Conference
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GBPGreen Bay Packers | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | - |
| — | DLDetroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 2.5 |
| — | CBChicago Bears | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 3 |
| — | BCBaltimore Colts | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 3 |
| — | SF4San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 3.5 |
| — | LARLos Angeles Rams | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 7 |
| — | MVMinnesota Vikings | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 8 |
AFL — Eastern Division
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HOHouston Oilers | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | - |
| — | BPBoston Patriots | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 1 |
| — | NYTNew York Titans | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3.5 |
| — | BBBuffalo Bills | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4.5 |
AFL — Western Division
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SDCSan Diego Chargers | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | - |
| — | DBDenver Broncos | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 6 |
| — | DTDallas Texans | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 9 |
| — | OROakland Raiders | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 10 |
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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