The National Football League playoffs for the 1981 season began on December 27, 1981. The postseason tournament concluded with the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI, 26–21, on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
Both conference champions had losing records the previous season, the only time this has happened. All four AFC playoff games were between teams who had never faced each other in the postseason before. This was the only time this happened in either conference since the playoffs were expanded to 10 teams in 1978.
This was also the first year that both New York City area teams, the Giants and the Jets, made the playoffs together in the same year. The Giants qualified for the first time since 1963, and the Jets for the first time since 1969.
Participants
Bracket
Schedule
In the United States, NBC broadcast the AFC playoff games, while CBS televised the NFC games and Super Bowl XVI.
This was last season that local times were considered in scheduling afternoon playoff games for the first three rounds, and not strictly in the 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST time slots.
Wild card playoffs
Sunday, December 27, 1981
AFC: Buffalo Bills 31, New York Jets 27
Bill Simpson's interception at the Buffalo 1-yard line with two seconds left in the game preserved a 31–27 victory and gave Buffalo their first playoff win since 1965. This would also turn out to be the final NFL playoff game at Shea Stadium, as the Jets moved to Giants Stadium three years later.
The Bills jumped to a 24–0 lead by the second quarter against a Jets defense that had only given up 37 first quarter points all season. First New York's Bruce Harper fumbled the opening kickoff while being tackled by Ervin Parker, and Charles Romes returned the ball 26-yards to the end zone. After a few punts, New York had a great chance to respond when Richard Todd completed a 37-yard pass to tight end Jerome Barkum on the Bills 30-yard line. On the next play, receiver Wesley Walker broke open in the end zone and Todd threw him the ball, only to watch it go right through Walker's hands. The next two plays resulted in the team being pushed back to the 35, where Pat Leahy missed a 52-yard field goal attempt. Then Buffalo drove 66 yards in three plays to score on quarterback Joe Ferguson's 50-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Frank Lewis. On the Jets next drive, Rufus Bess intercepted a pass from Todd and returned it 49 yards to the New York 12, leading to a 29-yard field goal by Nick Mike-Mayer.
Now down 17-0, New York had a good chance to get back in the game when Mark Gastineau forced a fumble from Ferguson on the Bills next drive. Gastineau got to the ball before anyone else, but wound up accidentally knocking the ball forward twice while trying to pick it up, and Buffalo lineman Ken Jones ended up recovering it. Following a missed 37-yard field goal attempt by Mike-Mayer after the fumble recovery, Todd led the Jets to the Bills 38-yard line, only to throw another interception, this one to linebacker Phil Villapiano, who returned it 18 yards to the 40. The Bills converted this turnover into a 24-0 lead as Ferguson completed a 28-yard pass to running back Joe Cribbs before hooking up with Lewis for a 26-yard scoring completion. However, New York got a big boost from receiver Kurt Sohn, who returned the kickoff 28 yards to the 48-yard line. From there, Todd led the team 52 yards in five plays to score on his 30-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mickey Shuler, Shuler's first reception of the season. After a pair of punts, Greg Buttle returned an interception from Ferguson 29 yards to the Bills 14-yard line, setting up's Leahy's 26-yard field goal that cut the score to 24-10 at the end of the half.
Buttle intercepted another pass from Ferguson on the opening drive of the third quarter, returning this one 11 yards to the Bills 44. The Jets took advantage again with another Leahy field goal to bring the team within 11 points at 24-13. Then Ferguson threw his third consecutive interception on the next drive, which Donald Dykes picked off and returned 22 yards, giving New York a first down on the Buffalo 35. But this time the Jets could not take advantage, as Simpson put an end to the next drive with an interception of his own.