The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts played their final season in Baltimore before the team's relocation to Indianapolis the following season. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38–9 at Tampa Stadium in Florida.
Regular season | |
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Duration | September 3 – December 19, 1983 |
Playoffs | |
Start date | December 24, 1983 |
AFC Champions | Los Angeles Raiders |
NFC Champions | Washington Redskins |
Super Bowl XVIII | |
Date | January 22, 1984 |
Site | Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida |
Champions | Los Angeles Raiders |
Pro Bowl | |
Date | January 29, 1984 |
Site | Aloha Stadium |
The 1983 NFL Draft was held from April 26 to 27, 1983 at New York City's Sheraton Hotel. With the first pick, the Baltimore Colts selected quarterback John Elway from Stanford University.
From 1978 to 1981 and this season to 1989, ten teams qualified for the playoffs: the winners of each of the divisions, and two wild-card teams in each conference. The two wild cards would meet for the right to face whichever of the three division winners had the best overall record. The tiebreaker rules were based on head-to-head competition, followed by division records, common opponents records, and conference play.
Week | East | Central | West | Wild Card | Wild Card | |||||
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1 | Cowboys, Eagles | 1–0 | 3 teams | 1–0 | 3 teams | 1–0 | ||||
2 | Cowboys | 2–0 | 4 teams | 1–1 | Rams | 2–0 | ||||
3 | Cowboys | 3–0 | Vikings, Packers | 2–1 | 4 teams | 2–1 | ||||
4 | Cowboys | 4–0 | Vikings | 3–1 | 49ers | 3–1 | Redskins | 3–1 | 6 teams | 2–2 |
5 | Cowboys | 5–0 | Vikings, Packers | 3–2 | 49ers | 4–1 | Redskins | 4–1 | 5 teams | 3–2 |
6 | Cowboys | 6–0 | Vikings | 4–2 | 3 teams | 4–2 | Redskins | 5–1 | 4 teams | 4–2 |
7 | Cowboys | 7–0 | Vikings | 5–2 | 49ers, Rams | 5–2 | 3 teams | 5–2 | 3 teams | 4–3 |
8 | Cowboys | 7–1 | Vikings | 6–2 | 49ers | 6–2 | Redskins | 6–2 | Saints, Rams | 5–3 |
9 | Cowboys | 8–1 | Vikings | 6–3 | 49ers | 6–3 | Redskins | 7–2 | Saints, Rams | 5–4 |
10 | Cowboys | 9–1 | Vikings | 6–4 | 3 teams | 6–4 | Redskins | 8–2 | 3 teams | 6–4 |
11 | Cowboys, Redskins | 9–2 | Vikings, Packers | 6–5 | 49ers, Rams | 7–4 | Cowboys, Redskins | 9–2 | 49ers, Rams | 7–4 |
12 | Cowboys, Redskins | 10–2 | Vikings | 7–5 | 49ers, Rams | 7–5 | Cowboys, Redskins | 10–2 | 49ers, Rams | 7–5 |
13 | Cowboys, Redskins | 11–2 | Vikings, Lions | 7–6 | Rams | 8–5 | Cowboys, Redskins | 11–2 | Lions, Vikings | 7–6 |
14 | Cowboys, Redskins | 12–2 | Lions | 8–6 | 49ers, Rams | 8–6 | Cowboys, Redskins | 12–2 | 49ers, Rams | 8–6 |
15 | Redskins | 13–2 | Lions, Packers | 8–7 | 49ers | 9–6 | Cowboys | 12–3 | 4 teams | 8–7 |
16 | Redskins | 14–2 | Lions | 9–7 | 49ers | 10–6 | Cowboys | 12–4 | Rams | 9–7 |
Week | East | Central | West | Wild Card | Wild Card | |||||
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1 | 3 teams | 1–0 | 4 teams | 0–1 | 3 teams | 1–0 | ||||
2 | Dolphins | 2–0 | Steelers, Browns | 1–1 | Raiders, Broncos | 2–0 | ||||
3 | Dolphins, Bills | 2–1 | Steelers, Browns | 2–1 | Raiders | 3–0 | 6 teams | 2–1 | ||
4 | Dolphins, Bills | 3–1 | Browns | 3–1 | Raiders | 4–0 | 3 teams | 3–1 | 6 teams | 2–2 |
5 | 4 teams | 3–2 | Steelers, Browns | 3–2 | Raiders | 4–1 | 7 teams | 3–2 | 4 teams | 2–3 |
6 | Bills, Colts | 4–2 | Steelers, Browns | 4–2 | Raiders | 5–1 | 4 teams | 4–2 | 5 teams | 3–3 |
7 | Bills | 5–2 | Steelers | 5–2 | Raiders | 5–2 | Dolphins, Colts | 4–3 | Browns, Seahawks | 4–3 |
8 | Dolphins, Bills | 5–3 | Steelers | 6–2 | Raiders | 6–2 | Dolphins, Bills | 5–3 | Broncos | 5–3 |
9 | Dolphins, Bills | 6–3 | Steelers | 7–2 | Raiders, Broncos | 6–3 | Dolphins, Bills | 6–3 | Raiders, Broncos | 6–3 |
10 | Dolphins | 7–3 | Steelers | 8–2 | Raiders | 7–3 | Bills, Colts | 6–4 | Seahawks, Broncos | 6–4 |
11 | Dolphins, Bills | 7–4 | Steelers | 9–2 | Raiders | 8–3 | Dolphins, Bills | 7–4 | 5 teams | 6–5 |
12 | Dolphins | 8–4 | Steelers | 9–3 | Raiders | 9–3 | 3 teams | 7–5 | 3 teams | 6–5 |
13 | Dolphins | 9–4 | Steelers | 9–4 | Raiders | 10–3 | Browns | 8–5 | 3 teams | 7–6 |
14 | Dolphins | 10–4 | Steelers | 9–5 | Raiders | 11–3 | 3 teams | 8–6 | 4 teams | 7–7 |
15 | Dolphins | 11–4 | Steelers | 10–5 | Raiders | 11–4 | Broncos | 9–6 | 4 teams | 8–7 |
16 | Dolphins | 12–4 | Steelers | 10–6 | Raiders | 12–4 | Seahawks | 9–7 | Broncos | 9–7 |
Inter-conference |
Highlights of the 1983 season included:
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Dec 31 – Candlestick Park | ||||||||||||||||||
3 | Detroit | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
Dec 26 – Texas Stadium | Jan 8 – RFK Stadium | |||||||||||||||||
2 | San Francisco | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
NFC | ||||||||||||||||||
5 | LA Rams | 24 | 2 | San Francisco | 21 | |||||||||||||
Jan 1 – RFK Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
4 | Dallas | 17 | 1 | Washington | 24 | |||||||||||||
NFC Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
5 | LA Rams | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
Jan 22 – Tampa Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
1 | Washington | 51 | ||||||||||||||||
Divisional playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
Wild Card playoffs | N1 | Washington | 9 | |||||||||||||||
Dec 31 – Miami Orange Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
A1 | LA Raiders | 38 | ||||||||||||||||
Super Bowl XVIII | ||||||||||||||||||
4 | Seattle | 27 | ||||||||||||||||
Dec 24 – Kingdome | Jan 8 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | |||||||||||||||||
2* | Miami | 20 | ||||||||||||||||
AFC | ||||||||||||||||||
5 | Denver | 7 | 4 | Seattle | 14 | |||||||||||||
Jan 1 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | ||||||||||||||||||
4 | Seattle | 31 | 1 | LA Raiders | 30 | |||||||||||||
AFC Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
3 | Pittsburgh | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
1* | LA Raiders | 38 | ||||||||||||||||
The following players set all-time records during the season:
Most touchdowns, season | John Riggins, Washington (24) |
Most rushing touchdowns, season | John Riggins, Washington (24) |
Most punt return yards, season | Greg Pruitt, Los Angeles Raiders (666) |
Most total field goals made, season | Ali Haji-Sheikh, New York Giants (35) |
Points scored | Washington Redskins (541) |
Total yards gained | San Diego Chargers (6,197) |
Yards rushing | Chicago Bears (2,727) |
Yards passing | San Diego Chargers (4,661) |
Fewest points allowed | Miami Dolphins (250) |
Fewest total yards allowed | Cincinnati Bengals (4,327) |
Fewest rushing yards allowed | Washington Redskins (1,289) |
Fewest passing yards allowed | New Orleans Saints (2,691) |
Most Valuable Player | Joe Theismann, quarterback, Washington |
Coach of the Year | Joe Gibbs, Washington |
Offensive Player of the Year | Joe Theismann, quarterback, Washington |
Defensive Player of the Year | Doug Betters, defensive end, Miami |
Offensive Rookie of the Year | Eric Dickerson, running back, LA Rams |
Defensive Rookie of the Year | Vernon Maxwell, linebacker, Baltimore Colts |
Man of the Year | Rolf Benirschke, placekicker, San Diego |
Comeback Player of the Year | Billy Johnson, wide receiver, Atlanta |
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player | Marcus Allen, running back, LA Raiders |
Schaefer Stadium is renamed Sullivan Stadium after New England Patriots founder and owner Billy Sullivan
This was the second year under the league's five-year broadcast contracts with ABC, CBS, and NBC to televise Monday Night Football, the NFC package, and the AFC package, respectively.[4]
O. J. Simpson replaced Fran Tarkenton as ABC's fill-in color commentator. Howard Cosell then ignited racial controversy during the broadcast of the September 5 MNF game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins when his commentary on Alvin Garrett, an African American wide receiver for Washington, included a reference to "That little monkey".[5] The fallout contributed to Cosell's decision to leave MNF after the season.
Date | Time | Teams | Local TV | Announcers |
October 9, 1983 | 3:00 PM CDT | Kansas City Chiefs @ Los Angeles Raiders | KCTV-TV (Kansas City area) (blacked out in Los Angeles area) |
Don Fortune (play-by-play) Len Dawson (analyst) |