1971 NFL season
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The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins. Before the season, the Boston Patriots changed their name to New England Patriots after they moved to their new home field, Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Contents |
[edit] Major rule changes
- Teams will not be charged a time out for an injured player unless the injury occurs inside the last two minutes of a half.
[edit] Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
| Qualified for playoffs |
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 315 | 174 |
| Baltimore Colts | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 313 | 140 |
| New England Patriots | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 238 | 325 |
| New York Jets | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 212 | 299 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 184 | 394 |
| AFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 285 | 273 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 246 | 292 |
| Houston Oilers | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 251 | 330 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 284 | 265 |
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 302 | 208 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8 | 4 | 2 | .667 | 344 | 278 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 311 | 341 |
| Denver Broncos | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 203 | 275 |
| NFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 406 | 222 |
| Washington Redskins | 9 | 4 | 1 | .692 | 276 | 190 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 7 | 1 | .462 | 221 | 302 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 231 | 279 |
| New York Giants | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 228 | 362 |
| NFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Minnesota Vikings | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 245 | 139 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 341 | 286 |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 185 | 276 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 274 | 298 |
| NFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| San Francisco 49ers | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 300 | 216 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 313 | 260 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 274 | 277 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 266 | 347 |
[edit] Tiebreakers
- New England finished ahead of N.Y. Jets in the AFC East based on better strength of schedule (.537 to Jets' .510).
[edit] Playoffs
- Note: Prior to the 1975 season, the home teams in the playoffs were decided based on a yearly rotation.
| Divisional Playoffs | Conf. Championship Games | Super Bowl VI | ||||||||
| December 26 - Candlestick Park | ||||||||||
| Washington Redskins | 20 | |||||||||
| January 2 - Texas Stadium | ||||||||||
| San Francisco 49ers | 24 | |||||||||
| San Francisco 49ers | 3 | |||||||||
| December 25 - Metropolitan Stadium | ||||||||||
| Dallas Cowboys | 14 | |||||||||
| Dallas Cowboys | 20 | |||||||||
| January 16 – Tulane Stadium | ||||||||||
| Minnesota Vikings | 12 | |||||||||
| Dallas Cowboys | 24 | |||||||||
| December 26 - Cleveland Stadium | ||||||||||
| Miami Dolphins | 3 | |||||||||
| Baltimore Colts | 20 | |||||||||
| January 2 - Miami Orange Bowl | ||||||||||
| Cleveland Browns | 3 | |||||||||
| Baltimore Colts | 0 | |||||||||
| December 25 - Municipal Stadium | ||||||||||
| Miami Dolphins | 21 | |||||||||
| Miami Dolphins (2OT) | 27 | |||||||||
| Kansas City Chiefs | 24 | |||||||||
[edit] References
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1971-1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- 1971 season in details
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
| Early Era (1920-1969) |
|---|
| 1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929
1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 |
| Modern Era (1970-present) |
| 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979
1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 |
