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1981 Dallas Cowboys season

{{short description|NFL team season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NFL team season

| team = Dallas Cowboys

| year = 1981

| record = 12–4

| division_place = 1st NFC East

| coach = Tom Landry

| general manager = Tex Schramm

| owner = Clint Murchison, Jr.

| stadium = Texas Stadium

| playoffs = Won Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Buccaneers) 38–0
Lost NFC Championship
(at 49ers) 27–28

| shortnavlink = Cowboys seasons

}}

The 1981 Dallas Cowboys season was their 22nd in the league. The team matched their previous output of 12–4, winning their fifth division title in six years.[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/1981.htm 1981 Dallas Cowboys] They lost the Conference Championship game for the second straight season.

The season began with four straight victories, followed by two losses (including a surprising 45–14 blowout loss to the 49ers in week six). The Cowboys rebounded to win 8 of their last 9 games to clinch the NFC East but had to settle for the conference's number two seed behind the 49ers.

The Cowboys easily defeated Tampa Bay in the divisional playoff to earn a rematch with the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The game was much closer this time, and the Cowboys still held a 27–21 lead with less than a minute to play. However, Joe Montana led a late drive and hit Dwight Clark in the famous "Catch" to give San Francisco a 28–27 lead. On the ensuing Cowboys possession, Danny White completed a pass to Drew Pearson, and was only an arms length away from breaking free from Eric Wright and most likely scoring a touchdown. Jim Stuckey recovered a White fumble on the next play, then the 49ers ran out the clock for the win.

Offseason

=NFL Draft=

{{main|1981 NFL draft}}

{{NFL team draft start

| year = 1981

| teamname = Dallas Cowboys

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 1

| pick = 26

| player = Howard Richards

| position = OT

| college = Missouri

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 2

| pick = 53

| player = Doug Donley

| position = WR

| college = Ohio State

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 3

| pick = 81

| player = Glen Titensor

| position = OG

| college = BYU

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 4

| pick = 91

| player = Scott Pelluer

| position = LB

| college = Washington State

| notes = from San Francisco

| probowl = no

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 4

| pick = 108

| player = Derrie Nelson

| position = LB

| college = Nebraska

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 5

| pick = 137

| player = Danny Spradlin

| position = LB

| college = Tennessee

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 6

| pick = 163

| player = Vince Skillings

| position = DB

| college = Ohio State

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 7

| pick = 173

| player = Ron Fellows

| position = CB

| college = Missouri

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = yes

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 7

| pick = 191

| player = Ken Miller

| position = DB

| college = Eastern Michigan

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 8

| pick = 218

| player = Paul Piurowski

| position = LB

| college = Florida State

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 9

| pick = 246

| player = Mike Wilson

| position = WR

| college = Washington State

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 10

| pick = 273

| player = Pat Graham

| position = DT

| college = California

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 11

| pick = 302

| player = Tim Morrison

| position = OG

| college = Georgia

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft entry

| round = 12

| pick = 329

| player = Nate Lundy

| position = WR

| college = Indiana

| notes =

| probowl = no

| maderoster = no

}}

{{NFL team draft end}}

=Undrafted free agents=

class="wikitable"

|+ 1981 Undrafted Free Agents of note

!Player

!Position

!College

Michael Downs

|Safety

|Rice

Angelo King

|Linebacker

|South Carolina State

Everson Walls

|Cornerback

|Grambling State

Steve Wright

|Tackle

|Northern Iowa

Schedule

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Week

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Date

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Opponent

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Result

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Record

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Game Site

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Attendance

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Recap

style="background: #cfc"

! 1

| September 6

| at Washington Redskins

| W 26–10

| 1–0

| RFK Stadium

| 55,045

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198109060was.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 2

| September 13

| St. Louis Cardinals

| W 30–17

| 2–0

| Texas Stadium

| 63,602

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198109130dal.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 3

| {{dow tooltip|September 21, 1981}}

| at New England Patriots

| W 35–21

| 3–0

| Schaefer Stadium

| 60,311

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198109210nwe.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 4

| September 27

| New York Giants

| W 18–10

| 4–0

| Texas Stadium

| 63,449

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198109270dal.htm Recap]

style="background: #fcc"

! 5

| October 4

| at St. Louis Cardinals

| L 17–20

| 4–1

| Busch Memorial Stadium

| 49,477

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198110040crd.htm Recap]

style="background: #fcc"

! 6

| October 11

| at San Francisco 49ers

| L 14–45

| 4–2

| Candlestick Park

| 57,574

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198110110sfo.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 7

| October 18

| Los Angeles Rams

| W 29–17

| 5–2

| Texas Stadium

| 64,649

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198110180dal.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 8

| October 25

| Miami Dolphins

| W 28–27

| 6–2

| Texas Stadium

| 64,221

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198110250dal.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 9

| November 1

| at Philadelphia Eagles

| W 17–14

| 7–2

| Veterans Stadium

| 72,111

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198111010phi.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 10

| {{dow tooltip|November 9, 1981}}

| Buffalo Bills

| W 27–14

| 8–2

| Texas Stadium

| 62,583

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198111090dal.htm Recap]

style="background: #fcc"

! 11

| November 15

| at Detroit Lions

| L 24–27

| 8–3

| Pontiac Silverdome

| 79,694

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198111150det.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 12

| November 22

| Washington Redskins

| W 24–10

| 9–3

| Texas Stadium

| 64,587

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198111220dal.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 13

| November 26

| Chicago Bears

| W 10–9

| 10–3

| Texas Stadium

| 63,499

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198111260dal.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 14

| December 6

| at Baltimore Colts

| W 37–13

| 11–3

| Memorial Stadium

| 54,871

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198112060clt.htm Recap]

style="background: #cfc"

! 15

| December 13

| Philadelphia Eagles

| W 21–10

| 12–3

| Texas Stadium

| 64,955

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198112130dal.htm Recap]

style="background: #fcc"

! 16

| {{dow tooltip|December 19, 1981}}

| at New York Giants

| L 10–13 {{small|(OT)}}

| 12–4

| Giants Stadium

| 73,009

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198112190nyg.htm Recap]

Division opponents are in bold text

Game notes

=Week 1=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Cowboys

|V1= 0|V2=14 |V3=6 |V4=6

|Host=Redskins

|H1= 0|H2=7 |H3=3 |H4=0

|Date=Sunday Sept 6, 1981

|Location=Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium

|StartTime=1:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=55,045

|Weather={{convert|75|F}}, wind {{convert|8|mph|abbr=on}}

|Referee= Gene Barth

|TVAnnouncers= Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach

|TVStation= CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 2=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Cardinals

|V1= 7|V2=7 |V3=0 |V4=3

|Host=Cowboys

|H1= 14|H2=13 |H3=3 |H4=0

|Date=Sunday Sep 13, 1981

|Location=Texas Stadium

|StartTime=4:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=63,602

|Weather={{convert|82|F}}, wind {{convert|9|mph|abbr=on}}

|Referee= Pat Haggerty

|TVAnnouncers= Frank Glieber and Roger Staubach

|TVStation= CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 3=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Cowboys

|V1= 7|V2=10 |V3=7 |V4=11

|Host=Patriots

|H1= 7|H2=7 |H3=7 |H4=0

|Date=Monday Sept 21, 1981

|Location=Schaefer Stadium

|StartTime=9:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=60,311

|Weather={{convert|62|F}}, wind {{convert|13|mph|abbr=on}}

|Referee= Jerry Markbreit

|TVAnnouncers=Frank Gifford, Don Meredith & Howard Cosell

|TVStation= ABC

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 4=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Giants

|V1= 0|V2=3 |V3=0 |V4=7

|Host=Cowboys

|H1= 7|H2=3 |H3=0 |H4=8

|Date=Sunday Sep 27, 1981

|Location=Texas Stadium

|StartTime=4:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=63,449

|Weather={{convert|82|F}}, wind {{convert|10|mph|abbr=on}}

|Referee=

|TVAnnouncers=Pat Summerall & Hank Stram

|TVStation=CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 5=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Cowboys

|V1= 7|V2=3 |V3=7 |V4=0

|Host=Cardinals

|H1= 10|H2=0 |H3=7 |H4=3

|Date=Sunday Oct 4,1981

|Location=Civic Center Busch Memorial Stadium

|StartTime=1:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=49,477

|Weather=Clear; {{convert|64|F}}, wind {{convert|12|mph|abbr=on}}

|Referee= Chuck Heberling

|TVAnnouncers= Pat Summerall and John Madden

|TVStation= CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 6=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Cowboys

|V1= 0|V2=7 |V3=0 |V4=7

|Host=49ers

|H1= 21|H2=3 |H3=14 |H4=7

|Date= Sunday Oct 11, 1981

|Location=Candlestick Park

|StartTime=4:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=57,574

|Weather=Sunny; {{convert|58|F}}, wind {{convert|18|mph|abbr=on}}

|Referee= Jim Tunney

|TVAnnouncers= Pat Summerall and John Madden

|TVStation= CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 7=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Rams

|V1= 0|V2=10 |V3=7 |V4=0

|Host=Cowboys

|H1= 12|H2=14 |H3=0 |H4=3

|Date=Sunday Oct 18, 1981

|Location=Texas Stadium

|StartTime=9:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=64,649

|Weather={{convert|64|F}}, humidity 55%

|Referee= Gene Barth

|TVAnnouncers= Frank Gifford, Fran Tarkenton, and Don Meredith

|TVStation= ABC

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 8=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Dolphins

|V1= 0|V2=6 |V3=7 |V4=14

|Host=Cowboys

|H1= 7|H2=7 |H3=0 |H4=14

|Date=Sunday Oct 25, 1981

|Location=Texas Stadium

|StartTime=4:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=64,221

|Weather={{convert|54|F}}, humidity 74%

|Referee= Fred Wyant

|TVAnnouncers= Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

|TVStation= NBC

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 9=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Cowboys

|V1= 0|V2= 3|V3=0 |V4=14

|Host=Eagles

|H1= 0|H2=7 |H3=7 |H4=0

|Date=Sunday Nov 1, 1981

|Location=Veterans Stadium

|StartTime=4:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=72,111

|Weather={{convert|53|F}}, wind {{convert|6|mph|abbr=on}}

|Referee=Jerry Seeman

|TVAnnouncers=Pat Summerall & John Madden

|TVStation=CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 10=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Bills

|V1=7 |V2=7 |V3=0 |V4=0

|Host=Cowboys

|H1=7 |H2=0 |H3=20 |H4=0

|Date=November 9

|Location=Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

|StartTime=9:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=62,583

|Weather={{Convert|50|F|C}} • {{Convert|20|mph|km/h knot}}

|Referee=Dick Jorgensen

|TVAnnouncers=Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell

|TVStation=ABC

}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry=yes |Quarter=1 |Time= |Team=BUF |Event=Jerry Butler 16 yard pass from Joe Ferguson (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) |Score=BUF 7–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=1 |Time= |Team=DAL |Event=Doug Cosbie 12 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) |Score= Tied 7–7}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=2 |Time= |Team=BUF |Event=Curtis Brown 9 yard pass from Joe Cribbs (Nick Mike-Mayer kick) |Score= BUF 14–7}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team=DAL |Event=Tony Dorsett 73 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) |Score= Tied 14–14}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team=DAL |Event=Tony Hill 37 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) |Score= DAL 21–14}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team=DAL |Event=Rafael Septién 47 yard field goal|Score=DAL 24–14 }}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team=DAL |Event=Rafael Septién 31 yard field goal |Score=DAL 27–14 |LastEntry=yes}}

{{AFB game box end}}

[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198111090dal.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]

{{Clear}}

=Week 11=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Cowboys

|V1= 7|V2=10 |V3=0 |V4=7

|Host=Lions

|H1= 0|H2=7 |H3=10 |H4=10

|Date=Sunday Nov 15, 1981

|Location=Pontiac Silverdome

|StartTime=4:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=79,694

|Weather=Dome

|Referee= Fred Silva

|TVAnnouncers= Pat Summerall and John Madden

|TVStation= CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 12=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Redskins

|V1= 0|V2= 7|V3= 3|V4=0

|Host=Cowboys

|H1= 7|H2= 3|H3= 7|H4=7

|Date=Sunday, November 22, 1981

|Location=Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

|StartTime=3:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=64,587

|Weather={{convert|51|F}}; wind {{convert|7|mph|abbr=on}}

|Referee= Dick Jorgensen

|TVAnnouncers=Tom Brookshier and Roger Staubach

|TVStation=CBS

}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry=yes |Quarter=1 |Time= |Team=DAL |Event=Butch Johnson 28 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) |Score= DAL 7–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=2 |Time= |Team= DAL|Event=Rafael Septién 25 yard field goal |Score= DAL 10–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=2 |Time= |Team= WSH|Event=Nick Giaquinto 7 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) |Score= DAL 10–7}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team= WSH|Event=Mark Moseley 26 yard field goal |Score= Tie 10–10}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=3 |Time= |Team= DAL|Event=Doug Cosbie 10 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) |Score= DAL 17–10}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=4 |Time= |Team= DAL|Event= Ron Springs 1 yard run (Rafael Septién kick) |Score= DAL 24–10|LastEntry=yes}}

{{AFB game box end}}

[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198111220dal.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]

{{Clear}}

=Week 13=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Bears

|V1= 0|V2= 3|V3= 0|V4=6

|Host=Cowboys

|H1= 3|H2= 0|H3= 0|H4=7

|Date=Thursday Nov, 26 1981

|Location=Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

|StartTime=4:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=63,499

|Weather={{convert|68|F}}; humidity 62%

|Referee= Chuck Heberling

|TVAnnouncers= Pat Summerall and John Madden

|TVStation= CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 14=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Cowboys

|V1=17 |V2=10 |V3=0 |V4=10

|Host=Colts

|H1=6 |H2=0 |H3=7 |H4=0

|Date=Sunday Dec 6, 1981

|Location=Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

|StartTime=2:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=54,871

|Weather={{convert|39|F}}, wind {{convert|20|mph|abbr=on}}, wind chill {{convert|29|F}}

|Referee= Ben Dreith

|TVAnnouncers= Jim Kelly & John Dockery

|TVStation= CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 15=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Eagles

|V1=3 |V2=7 |V3=0 |V4=0

|Host=Cowboys

|H1=0 |H2=7 |H3=7 |H4=7

|Date=Sunday Dec 13, 1981

|Location=Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

|StartTime=4:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=64,955

|Weather={{convert|44|F}}, humidity 83%, wind {{convert|9|mph|abbr=on}}

|Referee= Jerry Markbreit

|TVAnnouncers= Pat Summerall and John Madden

|TVStation= CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Week 16=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Cowboys

|V1= 0|V2=0 |V3=0 |V4=10 |VOT=0

|Host=Giants

|H1= 0|H2=0 |H3=7 |H4=3 |HOT=3

|Date=Saturday Dec 19,1981

|Location=Giants Stadium

|StartTime=12:30 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=73,009

|Weather=Overcast; {{convert|27|F}}, wind chill {{convert|13|F}}, wind {{convert|20|mph|abbr=on}}mph

|Referee= Pat Haggerty

|TVAnnouncers=Pat Summerall and John Madden

|TVStation=CBS

}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry=yes |Quarter= 3|Time= |Team=NYG |Event=Tom Mullady 20 yard pass from Scott Brunner (Joe Danelo kick) |Score=Giants 7–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=4 |Time= |Team=DAL |Event=Doug Cosbie 3 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) |Score= Tie 7–7}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter= 4|Time= |Team=DAL |Event=Rafael Septién 36 yard field goal |Score= Cowboys 10–7}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=4 |Time= |Team=NYG |Event=Joe Danelo 40 yard field goal |Score= Tie 10–10}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=OT |Time= |Team= NYG|Event=Joe Danelo 35 yard field goal |Score=Giants 13–10 |LastEntry=yes}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

Playoffs

{{main|1981–82 NFL playoffs}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Round

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Date

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Opponent

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Result

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Game Site

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Attendance

! style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|year=1981|border=2}}"| Recap

Wild Card

| colspan=7| First Round Bye

style="background: #cfc"

! Divisional

| {{dow tooltip|January 2, 1982|df=F j, Y}}

| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3)

| W 38–0

| Texas Stadium

| 64,848

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198201020dal.htm Recap]

style="background: #fcc"

! NFC Championship

| January 10, 1982

| at San Francisco 49ers (1)

| L 27–28

| Candlestick Park

| 60,525

| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198201100sfo.htm Recap]

=Divisional Round=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Bucs

|V1= 0|V2=0 |V3=0 |V4=0

|Host=Cowboys

|H1= 0|H2=10 |H3=21 |H4=7

|Date=Jan 2,1982

|Location=Texas Stadium

|StartTime=1:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=64,848

|Weather=Sunny; {{convert|57|F}}

|Referee= Jerry Markbreit

|TVAnnouncers=

|TVStation=

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

=Conference Championship=

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Cowboys

|V1= 10|V2=7 |V3=0 |V4=10

|Host=49ers

|H1= 7|H2=7 |H3=7 |H4=7

|Date=Jan 10,1982

|Location=Candlestick Park

|StartTime=4:30 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=60,525

|Weather=Sunny; {{convert|43|F}}, wind {{convert|5|mph|abbr=on}}

|Referee=Jim Tunney

|TVAnnouncers=Vin Scully (play-by-play), Hank Stram (color commentator), Irv Cross (sideline reporter)

|TVStation=CBS

}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{Clear}}

Standings

{{1981 NFC East standings}}

Roster

class="toccolours" style="text-align: left;"
colspan="7" style="background:#c5ced6; color:black; border: 2px solid #001942; text-align: center;"|Dallas Cowboys 1981 roster
style="font-size:95%; vertical-align:top;"| Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

| style="width: 25px;" |

| style="font-size:95%; vertical-align:top;"|Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

| style="width: 25px;" |

| style="font-size:95%; vertical-align:top;"|Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

| style="width: 25px;" |

| style="font-size:95%; vertical-align:top;"|Reserve lists

Rookies in italics

45 active, 6 inactive

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Dallas Cowboys}}

{{Dallas Cowboys seasons}}

{{1981 NFL season by team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1981 Dallas Cowboys Season}}

Category:Dallas Cowboys seasons

Category:NFC East championship seasons

Dallas Cowboys

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