1981 Seattle Seahawks season
The 1981 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's sixth season with the National Football League. The Seahawks got off to a terrible start, losing six of their first seven games, on the way to a 6–10 season. Steve Largent would have a stellar season with 1,224 receiving yards. Jim Zorn was having a bounce back season, completing a career high 59% of his passes, 13 TDs 9 INT’s 6.2 yards per attempt before his injury against the Raiders at home. Seattle opened their season at Cincinnati, and held a 21–0 lead before the Bengals rallied for an improbable 27–21 win. This loss was a portent into the season. The Seahawks also blew a 24–3 3rd quarter lead at home to the Raiders before losing 32–31. Seven of their 10 losses were by two possessions or more.
The Achilles heel for the team was the running game on offense and defense. On offense they ranked 27th in yards and 26th in yards per attempt. On defense the ranking was 27th in yards 28th in yards per attempt. Only once did the defense hold a team under 100 yards rushing which was against the Chargers in San Diego, losing 24–10.
The disappointing season had some memorable highlights. At the time the biggest come from behind victory, at home against the Steelers, down 21–3 winning 24–21. On Monday night, the team’s first victory over the San Diego Chargers, losing their first seven meetings, winning 44–23.
Offseason
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
| Mike Babb | Punter | Oregon |
| Kim Baker | Linebacker | Nebraska |
| David Bayle | Tight End | Washington |
| Dan Boomhower | Running back | Kearney State |
| Dave Boschma | Safety | Linfield |
| Chris Buono | Safety | Furman |
| Brad Chace | Safety | Colorado |
| Bob Chauza | Tackle | Northwest Missouri State |
| Bob Danenhauer | Linebacker | Nebraska–Omaha |
| Bill Fenn | Fullback | Illinois State |
| Steve Griffiths | Linebacker | Penn State |
Personnel
Final roster
- Starters in bold.
- Denotes players that were selected for the 1982 Pro Bowl.