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Today in Patriots History
Baltimore Colts upset Pats in opener, 29-28
Baltimore Colts upset Pats in opener, 29-28
Sun Sept 6, 1981 at 1:00
Week 1, Game 1 at Schaefer Stadium
Baltimore Colts 29, New England Patriots 28
Head Coaches: Ron Erhardt, Mike McCormack
QBs: Steve Grogan, Bert Jones
Odds: New England favored by 6
The Patriots were coming off a 10-6 year, and five consecutive winning seasons. The defense was very talented on all three levels: Tony McGee, Richard Bishop and Julius Adams upfront, Steve Nelson inside and Rod Shoate outside at linebacker, Ray Clayborn and Mike Haynes manning the corners, and Tim Fox and Rick Sanford at safety. The offensive line featured Hall of Fame LG John Hannah, plus center Pete Brock and RT Shelby Jordan. The rotation at running back was solid, with Tony Collins, Sam Cunningham, Vagas Ferguson, Andy Johnson, Don Calhoun and Mosi Tatupu. The quarterback position was abit unsettled between Steve Grogan and Matt Cavanaugh, but either one had plenty of quality targets, headlined by wide receivers Stanlaey Morgan and Harold Jackson, and tight end Don Hasselbeck. Kicker John Smith was coming off a Pro Bowl season. The roster looked like that of a playoff contender.
The 1981 New England Patriots were instead incredible underachievers. The team was mediocre on offense (15th in the NFL in points scored) and subpar on defense (22nd in points allowed). But even with those disappointing ranks, the Pats should have at least been about a .500 team. Instead, the 1981 Patriots mastered the art of losing close games, and the losses never stopped - all the way to the number one pick in the ensuing spring’s NFL draft after a two-win season.
The '81 Baltimore Colts were a team in disarray, racing towards the bottom. The two Super Bowl appearances in the mid seventies were a distant memory. Robert Irsay, the air conditioning tycoon who acquired the team in 1972, was a ruthless businessman with an unpredictable temper and a drinking problem. He wanted the city of Baltimore to renovate or replace Memorial Stadium, the crumbling concrete bowl in a shady neighborhood that the Colts called home. While battling city hall for a new venue, Irsay ran the team on a shoestring and constantly muddled in on-field affairs. In 1978 he traded away multiple quality players like TE Raymond Chester and RB Lydell Mitchell in purely salary-related moves. A year later Irsay's behavior became more erratic. He feuded publicly with head coach Ted Marchibroda and accused QB Bert Jones, whose shoulder problems were becoming chronic, of lying about the injury. Their best player, DE John Dutton, had seen enough and held out, forcing a trade to Dallas. With a gutted roster the Colts would win only two games in '81, and none in '82. The team was in the midst of a nine-year streak of losing seasons.
The Colts won two games in 1981. They were in the first and last weeks of the season - and both were against the Patriots.
The first play of scrimmage foreshadowed the entire season, as a Grogan pass over the middle to Collins was slightly off, bobbled, and nearly intercepted. The Pats went three-and-out, and Mike Hubach shanked a 26-yard punt, giving Baltimore the ball at the Pats 47. On first down Colts rookie RB Randy McMillan gained eight yards on a sweep around right end - a play that the Patriots never figured out how to defend. Thanks to an illegal motion the Colts had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead.
On the first play of the second drive, left tackle Dwight Wheeler was penalized for illegal procedure. 'Flag on Wheeler' would be a recurring theme throughout the season. Grogan was able to complete a 32-yard pass to WR Don Westbook, but three plays later the Patriots had to punt again. On the next possession Don Calhoun fumbled, setting up a short field; four plays later the Colts scored for a 10-0 lead.
The offense finally got it going on their fourth possession. Grogan escaped pressure, rolled right and found Andy Johnson for an 11-yard gain, and after a couple of Tony Collins runs he connected with Hasselbeck for 11 yards and Collins for 22. On second and goal Johnson took the handoff, rolled right, and completed the halfback option pass to Mosi Tatupu for a score, closing the Baltimore lead to three.
The Pats defense forced a three-and-out, but backup CB Keith Lee was called for running into the kicker, giving the Colts a fresh set of downs. Baltimore was gaining 5, 6, 7 yards running the ball, then McMillan gained 27 yards running off tackle. Baltimore had 2nd-and-goal on the one yard line, but Fox and Sanford stuffed consecutive runs to force the Colts to settle for a field goal after a 7:49 drive, and a 13-7 lead.
The Patriots came right back, scoring on a 7-play, 76-yard 3:48 drive. Aided by a holding call on 2nd-and-11 against the Colts, Grogan finished the drive with a 22-yard pass in the end zone to Carlos Pennywell on a 3rd-and-five.
Even though they were having success running the ball, Baltimore threw two passes on their next possession, and again went three-and-out. The Patriots took over on their 37 with 2:01 left in the half and immediately gained 16 yards on a pass over the middle to Collins. The Pats had a first down at the 33 with 1:14 left, but were forced to attempt a 50-yard field goal after three incomplete passes. John Smith's attempt went wide right, and at halftime the score was New England 14, Baltimore 13. Despite being outgained by 126 to 44 on the ground in the first half, the Patriots seemed to be in good shape. The Colts offense was sputtering, converting just one of seven third down attempts, with Jones only completing four of ten passes.
The Patriots defense forced a punt to open the second half, and the Patriots took over on their own 40. However on second down the pass rush got to Grogan and he had the ball knocked out of his hands. Pete Brock recovered, but now it was 3rd-and-23 on the 27. Despite Wheeler being flagged for holding, Grogan was sacked again and the Patriots were forced to punt, squandering the great field position.
The defense forced another three-and-out, but on first down Grogan's deep pass for Hasselbeck was picked off and returned to the 17. The defense once again did their job, but the Colts connected on a 35-yard field goal for a 16-14 lead.
Ron Erhardt took the ball out of Grogan's hands on the next drive, calling nine consecutive run plays for Collins, Calhoun and Tatupu. A 3rd-and-2 came up inches short on the 22-yard line. However, Smith's 39-yard attempt went wide right, and the Patriots still trailed by two. Five plays later McMillan ran to the left side, broke two tackles, and scored on a 35-yard run. The point after was wide left, keeping it a one-score game with the Colts up 22-14 early in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots quickly responded, going 80 yards in five plays in just 1:57 for a touchdown. On 2nd down Grogan completed a 33-yard pass to Hasselbeck, with another 15 yards tacked on for a roughing the passer penalty. After Collins rushed for seven yards, Grogan hit Hasselbeck again for 24 yards, and Cahoun punched it in from one yard out on the next play to make the score 22-21.
However, the Colts offense came to life on the next drive. Curtis ****ey caught a 16-yard pass and on the next play ripped off 15-yard run to the right side. From the 41 Jones threw a pass near the goal line that was flagged for pass interference, and McMillan scored on the next play to make it 29-21 with 8:01 to play.
On the next drive the Patriots drove near midfield, but a holding penalty on Shelby Jordan pushed the Pats back to 1st-and-20 on their 35. Grogan's pass on the next play was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted. With their back agains the wall the Patriots defense came up with a much needed big play. On second down on the Pats 23, Richard Bishop deliverd a big hit on Jones, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Mark Buben.
With 4:00 to play the Patriots put together a three-play scoring drive. Grogan connected with Tony Collins on a pass that was just short of first down, then Mosi Tatupu gained 22 yards on a screen pass thanks to an incredible second effort, down to the 4-yard line. Grogan hit Hasselbeck in the end zone for the touchdown and the Pats were down by just two points.
The Colts took over with 2:21 left to play. On 3rd-and-4 Mark Buben was flagged for being offsides, giving the Colts a first down, and Baltimore was able to run out the clock for a 29-28 victory.
Grogan finished 14-27 for 261 yards and two touchdowns, but also two interceptions. Tony Collins gained 81 yards on 15 carries (5.4 ypc), but Don Calhoun had rough day. While he did rush for a touchdown, he gained just 13 yards on eight carries with one fumble. Don Hasselbeck should have received a game ball for his performance, gaining 111 yards on six receptions and one touchdown, with another catch setting up Calhoun's TD.
While the defense made some big stops, the inability to stop the run turned out to be a concern that would last all season long. Baltimore rushed for 249 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. The blueprint was obvious for opponents; over the first five games the Patriots allowed 249, 220, 237, 251 and 219 yards rushing. The Patriots started out 0-4, and the 1981 season was over before the calendar flipped to October.
COLTS WIN (Published 1981)
www.nytimes.com
Randy McMillan, a rookie, rushed for 146 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns today as the Baltimore Colts erased a 14-13 halftime deficit and edged the New England Patriots, 29-28, in an American Football Conference game.
Trailing by 29-21 after McMillan's second touchdown, the Patriots scored on Steve Grogan's 4-yard pass to Don Hasselbeck with 2 minutes 31 seconds left after Mark Buben had recovered a Baltimore fumble and returned the ball 31 yards to the Colt 36. But the Patriots never got the ball back.
Official NFL Media Game Summary
Baltimore Colts at New England Patriots - September 6th, 1981 | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Baltimore Colts 29 at New England Patriots 28 on September 6th, 1981 - Full team and player stats and box score
www.pro-football-reference.com
