The 1985 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 54th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 49th in Washington, D.C. The team failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1984 and finished 10–6. The biggest moment of the year occurred on a November 18 Monday Night Football game, which witnessed Joe Theismann's career-ending injury after a sack by New York Giants outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor. The tackle resulted in a serious leg injury, and Theismann never played in the NFL again. Though the team failed to make the playoffs, they remained in contention for the entire regular season.
During the December 15 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, law authorities conducted a successful sting operation which resulted in the arrest of 101 fugitives who thought they had received free tickets to the game.[1]
Offseason
NFL draft
[2]
Personnel
Staff
1985 Washington Redskins staff
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
- Strength and Conditioning Coordinator – Dan Riley
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Roster
Regular season
Schedule
Week
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Date
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Opponent
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Result
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Record
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Venue
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Attendance
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Recap
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1
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at Dallas Cowboys
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L 14–44
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0–1
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Texas Stadium
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62,292
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Recap
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2
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September 15
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Houston Oilers
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W 16–13
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1–1
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RFK Stadium
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53,553
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Recap
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3
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September 22
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Philadelphia Eagles
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L 6–19
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1–2
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RFK Stadium
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53,748
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Recap
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4
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September 29
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at Chicago Bears
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L 10–45
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1–3
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Soldier Field
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63,708
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Recap
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5
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St. Louis Cardinals
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W 27–10
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2–3
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RFK Stadium
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53,134
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Recap
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6
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October 13
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Detroit Lions
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W 24–3
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3–3
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RFK Stadium
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52,845
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Recap
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7
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October 20
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at New York Giants
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L 3–17
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3–4
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Giants Stadium
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74,389
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Recap
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8
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October 27
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at Cleveland Browns
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W 14–7
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4–4
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Cleveland Municipal Stadium
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78,540
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Recap
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9
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November 3
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at Atlanta Falcons
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W 44–10
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5–4
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Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
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42,209
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Recap
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10
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November 10
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Dallas Cowboys
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L 7–13
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5–5
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RFK Stadium
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55,750
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Recap
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11
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New York Giants
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W 23–21
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6–5
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RFK Stadium
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53,371
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Recap
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12
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November 24
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at Pittsburgh Steelers
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W 30–23
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7–5
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Three Rivers Stadium
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59,293
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Recap
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13
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December 1
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San Francisco 49ers
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L 8–35
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7–6
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RFK Stadium
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51,321
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Recap
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14
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December 8
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at Philadelphia Eagles
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W 17–12
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8–6
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Veterans Stadium
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60,737
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Recap
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15
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December 15
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Cincinnati Bengals
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W 27–24
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9–6
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RFK Stadium
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50,544
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Recap
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16
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at St. Louis Cardinals
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W 27–16
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10–6
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Busch Memorial Stadium
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28,090
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Recap
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Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: at Dallas Cowboys
Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Redskins |
0 |
7 | 0 | 7 |
14 |
• Cowboys |
3 |
14 | 13 | 14 |
44 |
Scoring summary |
1 | | Cowboys | Rafael Septién 53-yard field goal | Cowboys 3–0 |
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2 | | Cowboys | Timmy Newsome 1-yard run (Rafael Septien kick) | Cowboys 10–0 |
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2 | | Redskins | John Riggins 1-yard run (Mark Moseley kick) | Cowboys 10–7 |
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2 | | Cowboys | Mike Renfro 55-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick) | Cowboys 17–7 |
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3 | | Cowboys | Rafael Septien 39-yard field goal | Cowboys 20–7 |
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3 | | Cowboys | Rafael Septien 43-yard field goal | Cowboys 23–7 |
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3 | | Cowboys | Tony Dorsett 9-yard run (Rafael Septien kick) | Cowboys 30–7 |
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4 | | Cowboys | Victor Scott 26-yard interception return (Rafael Septien kick) | Cowboys 37–7 |
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4 | | Redskins | Clint Didier 19-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) | Cowboys 37–14 |
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4 | | Cowboys | Dennis Thurman 21-yard interception return (Rafael Septien kick) | Cowboys 44–14 |
Week 2: vs. Houston Oilers
Houston Oilers at Washington Redskins
Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Oilers |
0 |
10 | 3 | 0 |
13 |
• Redskins |
13 |
3 | 0 | 0 |
16 |
- Date: Sunday, September 15
- Location: RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
Week 7
Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Redskins |
0 |
0 | 0 | 3 |
3 |
• Giants |
0 |
7 | 7 | 3 |
17 |
[3]
Week 11
Team |
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Giants |
7 |
0 | 14 | 0 |
21 |
• Redskins |
7 |
0 | 7 | 9 |
23 |
- Date: November 18
- Location: RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
- Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C); wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- Television network: ABC
Standings
See also
References
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- Formerly the Boston Braves (1932), Boston Redskins (1933–1936), Washington Redskins (1937–2019), and Washington Football Team (2020–2021)
- Based in Landover, Maryland
- Headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia
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Franchise | |
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Culture and lore | |
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Hall of Famers | |
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League championships (5) | |
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Division championships (15) | |
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Wild Card playoff berths (10) | |
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Formerly the Boston Braves (1932), Boston Redskins (1933–1936), Washington Redskins (1937–2019), and Washington Football Team (2020–2021) |
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