1981 NFL NFC Central standings

Name: 1981 NFL NFC Central standings
License: https://standingschart.com/about#reuse

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the 1981 NFL NFC Central division race at 9-7, 1 game ahead of the Detroit Lions. It came down to the final days: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not lead for good until Week 16.

The 1981 playoffs, game by game

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NFC Central standings, 1981

Team	W	L	Pct	GB	L10	Streak
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TB) b	9	7	.563	-	5-5	W1
Detroit Lions (DET)	8	8	.500	1	6-4	L1
Green Bay Packers (GB)	8	8	.500	1	6-4	L1
Minnesota Vikings (MIN)	7	9	.438	2	3-7	L5
Chicago Bears (CHI)	6	10	.375	3	5-5	W3

Final standings.

Clinch key

b: clinched a first-round bye

Turning points

The lead changed hands twice.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers trailed by as many as 2 games in Week 11.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took first place for good in Week 16.
The Minnesota Vikings won 5 games in a row from Week 3 to Week 7, the longest run of the race.
The Minnesota Vikings led by 2 games as late as Week 11.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 5-3 from Week 8 to Week 16, turning a deficit of 1 game into a lead of 1 game.
Five teams held first place.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent 11 of the season's 16 charted weeks in first place.