The Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 46th in Washington, D.C. Although the Redskins lost all their preseason games, they were to advance from an 8–8 record the previous season to become one of the only 2 teams in NFL history to win the Super Bowl after not winning a pre-season game (the other being the 2021 Los Angeles Rams). Only the 1990 Buffalo Bills and the 2000 New York Giants have since made it to the Super Bowl after a winless pre-season.
The 1982 NFL season was shortened from sixteen games per team to nine because of a players’ strike. The NFL adopted a special 16-team playoff tournament; division standings were ignored, and the top eight teams from each conference earned playoff berths with seeds corresponding to their position in the conference standings. With the best record in the NFC, Washington received the number one seed in the conference for the playoff tournament. Although they and the Los Angeles Raiders had identical 8–1 records, the Redskins were the best in the league because they had a +62-point differential, which was 2 more than the Raiders.
The Redskins marched through the NFC playoffs, beating each of their opponents by an average of 19 points. In a rematch of Washington's only prior Super Bowl appearance ten years prior, the Redskins—in a game famous for Washington's "70 Chip" play on fourth-and-1—went on to beat the Miami Dolphins 27–17 to win Super Bowl XVII. It was the Redskins’ first ever Super Bowl victory, and their first NFL Championship in 40 years. Combining the post-season and their first Super Bowl victory, the Redskins finished the season with an overall record of 12–1.
NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled Hail To The Redskins; it was narrated by John Facenda. On March 22, 2007, NFL Network aired America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, the 1982 Washington Redskins, with team commentary from Russ Grimm, Joe Theismann and Rick Walker, and narrated by Alec Baldwin.
Offseason
NFL Draft
Staff
Roster
Preseason
Preseason Game summaries
Week P1 (Saturday, August 14, 1982): at Miami Dolphins
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Week P2 (Saturday, August 21, 1982): at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Point spread: Over/Under: Time of Game: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Week P3 (Friday, August 27, 1982): vs. Buffalo Bills
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Week P4 (Friday, September 3, 1982): at Cincinnati Bengals
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Regular season
Schedule
Regular Season Game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday, September 12, 1982): at Philadelphia Eagles
Point spread: Over/Under: Time of Game: 3 hours, 22 minutes
Individual stats
Passing: Theismann – 28/39, 382 YDS, 3 TDs
Rushing: Riggins – 20 CAR, 66 YDS, 1 TD; Theismann – 3 CAR, 18 YDS; Harmon – 2 CAR, 16 YDS; Monk – 1 CAR, 8 YDS; Jackson – 4 CAR, 6 YDS Receiving: Monk – 8 REC, 134 YDS, 1 TD; Brown – 5 REC, 97 YDS, 2 TDs; Warren – 4 REC, 73 YDS; Harmon – 3 REC, 38 YDS; Williams – 3 REC, 14 YDS; Riggins – 3 REC, 3 YDS; Walker – 1 REC, 14 YDS; Jackson – 1 REC, 9 YDS Kicking: Moseley – 4/4 PAT, 3/3 FG Punting: Hayes – 4 PUNTS, 129 YDS Kickoff Return: Nelms – 7 KR, 152 YDS Punt Return: Nelms – 3 PR, 33 YDS Sacks: Manley – 2.0; McGee – 1.5; Brooks – 1.0; Olkewicz – 1.0; Butz – 0.5
Week 2 (Sunday, September 19, 1982): at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Point spread: Over/Under: Time of Game: 2 hours, 55 minutes
Individual stats
Passing: Theismann – 12/29, 112 YDS, 1 TD
Rushing: Riggins – 34 CAR, 136 YDS; Wonsley – 6 CAR, 22 YDS; Harmon – 3 CAR, 13 YDS; Theismann – 2 CAR, 6 YDS Receiving: Monk – 4 REC, 41 YDS; Brown – 3 REC, 33 YDS; Riggins – 2 REC, 15 YDS; Warren – 2 REC, 15 YDS; Didier – 1 REC, 8 YDS Kicking: Moseley – 0/2 PAT, 3/3 FG Punting: Hayes – 7 PUNTS, 284 YDS Kickoff Return: Nelms – 2 KR, 41 YDS; Williams – 1 KR, 2 YDS Punt Return: Nelms – 4 PR, 33 YDS Sacks: Manley – 1.0; McGee – 1.0
Week 3 (Sunday, November 21, 1982): at New York Giants
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