3rd and Long — Replay the 1981 NFL Season With Dice

The 1981 Season

Two teams defined the 1981 NFL season, and they met in the Super Bowl.

The San Francisco 49ers went 13–3 under Bill Walsh. Joe Montana was 25 years old and coming of age as the quarterback who could make anything work. The Cincinnati Bengals were 12–4, Ken Anderson running one of the most efficient offenses the league had seen. They played Super Bowl XVI in Pontiac, Michigan — 49ers 26, Bengals 21. A franchise dynasty had started.

Around them, the season was wide open. The San Diego Chargers put up 478 points — 29.9 per game — behind Dan Fouts and Air Coryell. Dallas and Philadelphia fought for the NFC East all season. Tampa Bay went 9–7. The Baltimore Colts lost 14 games and gave up 533 points. Everything between San Francisco and Baltimore was contested.

Now you can replay every game of it.

How It Works

3rd and Long uses a D100 resolution engine. Roll 1d100 for the home team, add the pre-calculated Home Mod, look up the score. Roll for the away team, add the Away Mod, look up. Higher score wins. Tied? Overtime.

A full game takes 3–5 minutes. A complete 16-week season plus playoffs in a sitting.

What's in the Pack

Every fixture has the Home Mod and Away Mod already worked out. No rating maths mid-game — just roll and look up.

| What's included | | |---|---| | All 28 team ratings | Offense & Defense, calibrated against real 1981 PPG stats | | Full 16-week schedule | Pre-calculated modifiers for every game | | Blank standings sheet | Fill in the table as the season unfolds | | Scoring table & OT reference | Everything on one page | | 8-team playoff bracket | Wild Card through Super Bowl XVI | | Full rules | Everything you need to play is in this one download |

What you need: Two d100 dice and a pencil.

Week 1 — San Diego at Cleveland

San Diego Chargers (OFF 19, DEF 12) travelling to Cleveland Browns (OFF 10, DEF 12).

Cleveland at home. Home Mod: (10 − 12) × 2 + 3 = −1. Away Mod: (19 − 12) × 2 = +14.

The Chargers' modifier is +14 on the road. Air Coryell in full flight — one good roll and it's a blowout. That's what a 19-rated offense does to a 12-rated defense. (Real result: San Diego won 44–14.)

Get the Pack

The 1981 NFL Season Pack is available now on Payhip for £5.99 (~$7.50).

Complete. Standalone. Print it out and play tonight.

Get 3rd and Long — 1981 NFL Season Pack →

The 1980 pack is also available — Oakland's wild card Super Bowl run. More seasons coming.