1981 Pittsburgh Steelers season

Week 1 (Sunday September 6, 1981): vs. Kansas City Chiefs
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 53,305
 * Referee: Jim Tunney
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - Swann 18 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)
 * Kansas City - Marshall 48 pass from Kenney (Lowery kick)
 * Kansas City - FG Lowery 35
 * Pittsburgh - Harris 7 run (kick failed)
 * Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Trout kick)
 * Kansas City - FG Lowery 40
 * Kansas City - Carson 53 pass from Kenney (Lowery kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Hawthorne 1 run (Trout kick)
 * Kansas City - FG Lowery 42
 * Kansas City - McKnight 3 run (Lowery kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Smith 41 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Kansas City - Howard 65 fumble return (Lowery kick)

Week 2 (Thursday September 10, 1981): at Miami Dolphins
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida


 * Game time: 8:30 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 74,190
 * Referee: Red Cashion
 * TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Fran Tarkenton & Howard Cosell (color commentators)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 23
 * Miami - Woodley 1 run (kick failed)
 * Miami - Franklin 1 run (von Schamann kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Smith 32 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Miami - Nathan 13 pass from Woodley (von Schamann kick)
 * Miami - Vigorito 87 punt return (von Schamann kick)
 * Miami - FG von Schamann 32

Week 3 (Sunday September 20, 1981): vs. New York Jets
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 52,973
 * Referee: Gordon McCarter
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - Davis 9 run (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 25
 * Pittsburgh - Pollard 23 run (Trout kick)
 * New York Jets - FG Leahy 47
 * Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 1 run (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Pollard 1 run (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Thornton 1 run (Trout kick)
 * New York Jets - McNeil 17 pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)

Week 4 (Sunday September 27, 1981): vs. New England Patriots
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 53,344
 * Referee: Gene Barth
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Cunningham 1 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * New England - Cavanaugh 1 run (Smith kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Trout kick)
 * New England - Collins 10 run (Smith kick)
 * New England - Morgan 12 pass from Cavanaugh (Smith kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Swann 24 pass from Bradshaw

Week 5 (Sunday October 4, 1981): at New Orleans Saints
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana


 * Game time: 2:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather: Dome
 * Game attendance: 64,578
 * Referee: Jerry Seeman
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Sam Nover (play by play), Harmon Wages (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - Swann 16 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 25
 * New Orleans - FG Ricardo 26
 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 43
 * New Orleans - FG Ricardo 33
 * Pittsburgh - Stallworth 47 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)

Week 6 (Sunday October 11, 1981): vs. Cleveland Browns
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 53,255
 * Referee: Ben Dreith
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - Stallworth 9 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 19
 * Cleveland - Newsome 29 pass from Sipe (Bahr kick)
 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 23

Week 7 (Sunday October 18, 1981): at Cincinnati Bengals
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EDT
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 57,090
 * Referee: Jerry Markbreit
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Cincinnati - FG Breech 27
 * Cincinnati - Johnson 3 run (Breech kick)
 * Cincinnati - FG Breech 23
 * Cincinnati - Verser 73 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)
 * Cincinnati - Alexander 3 run (Breech kick)
 * Cincinnati - Johnson 5 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Smith 17 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)

Week 8 (Monday October 26, 1981): vs. Houston Oilers
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 9:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 52,732
 * Referee: Fred Silva
 * TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 19
 * Pittsburgh - Smith 46 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Houston - FG Fritsch 34
 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 19
 * Houston - Casper 52 pass from Stabler (Fritsch kick)
 * Houston - FG Fritsch 44
 * Pittsburgh - FG Stallworth 6 pass from Bradshaw (kick failed)
 * Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Trout kick)

Week 9 (Sunday November 1, 1981): vs. San Francisco 49ers
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 52,878
 * Referee: Bob Frederic
 * TV announcers: (CBS) Vin Scully (play by play), Hank Stram (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * San Francisco - Young 5 pass from Montana (Wersching kick)
 * San Francisco - FG Wersching 45
 * Pittsburgh - Blount 50 interception return (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Smith 22 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * San Francisco - Easley 1 run (Wersching kick)

Week 10 (Sunday November 8, 1981): at Seattle Seahawks
at The Kingdome, Seattle, Washington


 * Game time: 4:00 pm EST
 * Game weather: Dome
 * Game attendance: 59,058
 * Referee: Dick Jorgensen
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Marv Albert (play by play), Jim Turner (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - Harris 6 run (Trout kick)
 * Seattle - FG Herrera 37
 * Pittsburgh - Malone 90 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Thornton 4 run (Trout kick)
 * Seattle - Doornink 44 pass from Zorn (Herrera kick)
 * Seattle - T. Brown 1 run (Herrera kick)
 * Seattle - T. Brown 1 run (Herrera kick)

Week 11 (Sunday November 15, 1981): at Atlanta Falcons
at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 57,485
 * Referee: Pat Haggerty
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Bob Costas (play by play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - Cunningham 18 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Stallworth 6 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Atlanta - Jackson 35 pass from Bartkowski (Luckhurst kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Stallworth 19 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Atlanta - FG Luckhurst 43
 * Pittsburgh - Grossman 14 pass from Bradshaw (kick blocked)
 * Atlanta - Jenkins 30 pass from Bartkowski (Luckhurst kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Swann 22 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Atlanta - FG Luckhurst 22

Week 12 (Sunday November 22, 1981): at Cleveland Browns
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 77,958
 * Referee: Gene Barth
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Don Criqui (play by play), John Brodie (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Cleveland - FG Bahr 33
 * Pittsburgh - Hawthorne 1 run (kick failed)
 * Pittsburgh - Thornton 3 run (kick failed)
 * Cleveland - Logan 13 pass from Sipe (Bahr kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Harris 2 run (kick failed)
 * Pittsburgh - Pinney 1 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Moser 5 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)

Week 13 (Sunday November 29, 1981): vs. Los Angeles Rams
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 51,854
 * Referee: Tom Dooley
 * TV announcers: (CBS) Vin Scully (play by play), Hank Stram (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - Harris 1 run (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Swann 9 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Bradshaw 1 run (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 21

Week 14 (Monday December 7, 1981): at Oakland Raiders
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California


 * Game time: 9:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 51,769
 * Referee: Jim Tunney
 * TV announcers: (ABC) Frank Gifford (play by play), Don Meredith & Howard Cosell (color commentators)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - Cunningham 5 pass from Bradshaw (Trout kick)
 * Oakland - Ramsey 25 pass from Wilson (Bahr kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Smith 19 pass from Malone (Trout kick)
 * Oakland - Whittington 17 pass from Wilson (Bahr kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Malone 11 run (kick failed)
 * Oakland - Chandler 36 pass from Wilson (kick failed)
 * Oakland - Watts 53 punt return (Bahr kick)
 * Oakland - FG Bahr 29
 * Pittsburgh - Smith 17 pass from Malone (Trout kick)

Week 15 (Sunday December 13, 1981): vs. Cincinnati Bengals
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather:
 * Game attendance: 50,623
 * Referee: Red Cashion
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Sam Nover (play by play), Dave Rowe (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 48
 * Cincinnati - FG Breech 38
 * Cincinnati - Curtis 2 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)
 * Cincinnati - Kreider 22 pass from Ken Anderson (Breech kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Harris 2 pass from Malone (Trout kick)

Week 16 (Sunday December 20, 1981): at Houston Oilers
at Astrodome, Houston, Texas


 * Game time: 1:00 pm EST
 * Game weather: Dome
 * Game attendance: 41,056
 * Referee: Bob McElwee
 * TV announcers: (NBC) Phil Stone (play by play), Gene Washington (color commentator)

Scoring Drives:


 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 40
 * Houston - Casper 15 pass from Neilsen (Fritsch kick)
 * Houston - Casper 23 pass from Neilsen (Fritsch kick)
 * Pittsburgh - FG Trout 37
 * Pittsburgh - Thornton 17 run (Trout kick)
 * Pittsburgh - Malone 2 run (Trout kick)
 * Houston - Casper 16 pass from Neilsen (Fritsch kick)