1971 NFL Season — Final Standings
Final regular-season standings. The Boston Patriots officially renamed to the New England Patriots and moved from Boston to a new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts this season — the only franchise name/location change in the 1970-1973 window. Miami (10-3-1) edged Baltimore (10-4) for the AFC East on percentage, sending the defending AFC champion Colts to the wild card. Dallas went on to beat Miami in Super Bowl VI.
AFC East
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MDMiami Dolphins | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | - |
| 4 | BCBaltimore Colts | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 0.5 |
| — | NEPNew England Patriots | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4.5 |
| — | NYJNew York Jets | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4.5 |
| — | BBBuffalo Bills | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 9.5 |
AFC Central
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | CBCleveland Browns | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | - |
| — | PSPittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 3 |
| — | HOHouston Oilers | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 4.5 |
| — | CBCincinnati Bengals | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 5 |
AFC West
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | KCCKansas City Chiefs | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | - |
| — | OROakland Raiders | 8 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 1.5 |
| — | SDCSan Diego Chargers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4.5 |
| — | DBDenver Broncos | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 6 |
NFC East
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDallas Cowboys | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | - |
| 4 | WRWashington Redskins | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 1.5 |
| — | PEPhiladelphia Eagles | 6 | 7 | 1 | .462 | 4.5 |
| — | SLCSt. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 6.5 |
| — | NYGNew York Giants | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 7 |
NFC Central
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | MVMinnesota Vikings | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | - |
| — | DLDetroit Lions | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 3.5 |
| — | CBChicago Bears | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 5 |
| — | GBPGreen Bay Packers | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 6 |
NFC West
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | SF4San Francisco 49ers | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | - |
| — | LARLos Angeles Rams | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 0.5 |
| — | AFAtlanta Falcons | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 1.5 |
| — | NOSNew Orleans Saints | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 4 |
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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