1981 NFL Passing Yards by Team
Every team's total, added up from its players' lines. Yards gained passing
The San Diego Chargers led the whole NFL in passing yards in 1981, with 4,873, 306 ahead of the Minnesota Vikings. The average across 28 NFL teams is 3,561.5.
Led the whole NFL in 1981
San Diego Chargers
16 games
4,873
Passing Yards
306 clear of
Minnesota Vikings
| # | Team | Conference | G | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
San Diego Chargers
|
AFC | 16 | 4,873 |
| 2 |
 Minnesota Vikings
|
NFC | 16 | 4,567 |
| 3 |
 Cleveland Browns
|
AFC | 16 | 4,339 |
| 4 |
 Cincinnati Bengals
|
AFC | 16 | 4,200 |
| 5 |
 Denver Broncos
|
AFC | 16 | 3,992 |
| 6 |
 Atlanta Falcons
|
NFC | 16 | 3,986 |
| 7 |
 New England Patriots
|
AFC | 16 | 3,904 |
| 8 |
 San Francisco 49ers
|
NFC | 16 | 3,766 |
| 9 |
 Washington Redskins
|
NFC | 16 | 3,743 |
| 10 |
 Seattle Seahawks
|
AFC | 16 | 3,727 |
| 11 |
 Buffalo Bills
|
AFC | 16 | 3,661 |
| 12 |
 Green Bay Packers
|
NFC | 16 | 3,576 |
| 13 |
 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
|
NFC | 16 | 3,565 |
| NFL average | 3,561.5 | |||
| 14 |
 Detroit Lions
|
NFC | 16 | 3,475 |
| 15 |
 Pittsburgh Steelers
|
AFC | 16 | 3,457 |
| 16 |
 Dallas Cowboys
|
NFC | 16 | 3,414 |
| 17 |
 Miami Dolphins
|
AFC | 16 | 3,385 |
| 18 |
 Baltimore Colts
|
AFC | 16 | 3,379 |
| 19 |
 Oakland Raiders
|
AFC | 16 | 3,356 |
| 20 |
 New York Jets
|
AFC | 16 | 3,279 |
| 21 |
 St. Louis Cardinals
|
NFC | 16 | 3,269 |
| 22 |
 Philadelphia Eagles
|
NFC | 16 | 3,249 |
| 23 |
 Houston Oilers
|
AFC | 16 | 3,119 |
| 24 |
 New York Giants
|
NFC | 16 | 3,009 |
| 25 |
 Los Angeles Rams
|
NFC | 16 | 3,008 |
| 26 |
 Kansas City Chiefs
|
AFC | 16 | 2,917 |
| 27 |
 New Orleans Saints
|
NFC | 16 | 2,778 |
| 28 |
 Chicago Bears
|
NFC | 16 | 2,728 |
A team's total is its players' numbers for the club added up, so a player traded mid-season counts for each team only what he did there. Rates such as passer rating and yards per attempt are worked out from the team's summed totals, not averaged across players. Passing yards are gross, before sack yardage comes off; the league's official team figures are net, so they run a little lower.