1981 NFL Season — Final Standings
Final regular-season standings. Tampa Bay won the NFC Central at just 9-7 and was still seeded above wild cards Philadelphia (10-6) and the Giants (9-7), a clean illustration that division winners always outrank wild cards regardless of record. San Francisco's 13-3 was the league's best record, setting up their first Super Bowl title run. Both AFC East cellar teams, Baltimore and New England, finished tied at the bottom at 2-14.
AFC East
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | MDMiami Dolphins | 11 | 4 | 1 | .719 | - |
| 4 | NYJNew York Jets | 10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 1 |
| 5 | BBBuffalo Bills | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1.5 |
| — | BCBaltimore Colts | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 9.5 |
| — | NEPNew England Patriots | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 9.5 |
AFC Central
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CBCincinnati Bengals | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | - |
| — | PSPittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4 |
| — | HOHouston Oilers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 5 |
| — | CBCleveland Browns | 5 | 11 | 0 | .312 | 7 |
AFC West
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | SDCSan Diego Chargers | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | - |
| — | DBDenver Broncos | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | - |
| — | KCCKansas City Chiefs | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 1 |
| — | OROakland Raiders | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3 |
| — | SSSeattle Seahawks | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4 |
NFC East
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | DCDallas Cowboys | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | - |
| 4 | PEPhiladelphia Eagles | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2 |
| 5 | NYGNew York Giants | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | 3 |
| — | WRWashington Redskins | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4 |
| — | SLCSt. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 5 |
NFC Central
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | TBBTampa Bay Buccaneers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .562 | - |
| — | DLDetroit Lions | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 1 |
| — | GBPGreen Bay Packers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 1 |
| — | MVMinnesota Vikings | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2 |
| — | CBChicago Bears | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3 |
NFC West
| Seed | Team | W | L | T | PCT | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SF4San Francisco 49ers | 13 | 3 | 0 | .812 | - |
| — | AFAtlanta Falcons | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 6 |
| — | LARLos Angeles Rams | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 7 |
| — | NOSNew Orleans Saints | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 9 |
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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