Player movement
Transactions
Trades
- May 2, 1983: The Baltimore Colts traded John Elway for Chris Hinton, backup quarterback Mark Herrmann, and a first-round pick in the 1984 Draft, which turned into offensive lineman Ron Solt.
Retirements
Draft
The 1983 NFL Draft was held from April 26 to 27, 1983 at New York City's Sheraton Hotel. With the first pick, the Baltimore Colts selected quarterback John Elway from Stanford University.
Division races
From 1978 to 1981 and this season to 1989, ten teams qualified for the playoffs: the winners of each of the divisions, and two wild-card teams in each conference. The two wild cards would meet for the right to face whichever of the three division winners had the best overall record. The tiebreaker rules were based on head-to-head competition, followed by division records, common opponents records, and conference play.
Week
|
East
|
|
Central
|
|
West
|
|
Wild Card
|
|
Wild Card
|
|
1
|
Cowboys, Eagles
|
1–0
|
3 teams
|
1–0
|
3 teams
|
1–0
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
Cowboys
|
2–0
|
4 teams
|
1–1
|
Rams
|
2–0
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
Cowboys
|
3–0
|
Vikings, Packers
|
2–1
|
4 teams
|
2–1
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
Cowboys
|
4–0
|
Vikings
|
3–1
|
49ers
|
3–1
|
Redskins
|
3–1
|
6 teams
|
2–2
|
5
|
Cowboys
|
5–0
|
Vikings, Packers
|
3–2
|
49ers
|
4–1
|
Redskins
|
4–1
|
5 teams
|
3–2
|
6
|
Cowboys
|
6–0
|
Vikings
|
4–2
|
3 teams
|
4–2
|
Redskins
|
5–1
|
4 teams
|
4–2
|
7
|
Cowboys
|
7–0
|
Vikings
|
5–2
|
49ers, Rams
|
5–2
|
3 teams
|
5–2
|
3 teams
|
4–3
|
8
|
Cowboys
|
7–1
|
Vikings
|
6–2
|
49ers
|
6–2
|
Redskins
|
6–2
|
Saints, Rams
|
5–3
|
9
|
Cowboys
|
8–1
|
Vikings
|
6–3
|
49ers
|
6–3
|
Redskins
|
7–2
|
Saints, Rams
|
5–4
|
10
|
Cowboys
|
9–1
|
Vikings
|
6–4
|
3 teams
|
6–4
|
Redskins
|
8–2
|
3 teams
|
6–4
|
11
|
Cowboys, Redskins
|
9–2
|
Vikings, Packers
|
6–5
|
49ers, Rams
|
7–4
|
Cowboys, Redskins
|
9–2
|
49ers, Rams
|
7–4
|
12
|
Cowboys, Redskins
|
10–2
|
Vikings
|
7–5
|
49ers, Rams
|
7–5
|
Cowboys, Redskins
|
10–2
|
49ers, Rams
|
7–5
|
13
|
Cowboys, Redskins
|
11–2
|
Vikings, Lions
|
7–6
|
Rams
|
8–5
|
Cowboys, Redskins
|
11–2
|
Lions, Vikings
|
7–6
|
14
|
Cowboys, Redskins
|
12–2
|
Lions
|
8–6
|
49ers, Rams
|
8–6
|
Cowboys, Redskins
|
12–2
|
49ers, Rams
|
8–6
|
15
|
Redskins
|
13–2
|
Lions, Packers
|
8–7
|
49ers
|
9–6
|
Cowboys
|
12–3
|
4 teams
|
8–7
|
16
|
Redskins
|
14–2
|
Lions
|
9–7
|
49ers
|
10–6
|
Cowboys
|
12–4
|
Rams
|
9–7
|
Week
|
East
|
|
Central
|
|
West
|
|
Wild Card
|
|
Wild Card
|
|
1
|
3 teams
|
1–0
|
4 teams
|
0–1
|
3 teams
|
1–0
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
Dolphins
|
2–0
|
Steelers, Browns
|
1–1
|
Raiders, Broncos
|
2–0
|
|
|
|
|
3
|
Dolphins, Bills
|
2–1
|
Steelers, Browns
|
2–1
|
Raiders
|
3–0
|
6 teams
|
2–1
|
|
|
4
|
Dolphins, Bills
|
3–1
|
Browns
|
3–1
|
Raiders
|
4–0
|
3 teams
|
3–1
|
6 teams
|
2–2
|
5
|
4 teams
|
3–2
|
Steelers, Browns
|
3–2
|
Raiders
|
4–1
|
7 teams
|
3–2
|
4 teams
|
2–3
|
6
|
Bills, Colts
|
4–2
|
Steelers, Browns
|
4–2
|
Raiders
|
5–1
|
4 teams
|
4–2
|
5 teams
|
3–3
|
7
|
Bills
|
5–2
|
Steelers
|
5–2
|
Raiders
|
5–2
|
Dolphins, Colts
|
4–3
|
Browns, Seahawks
|
4–3
|
8
|
Dolphins, Bills
|
5–3
|
Steelers
|
6–2
|
Raiders
|
6–2
|
Dolphins, Bills
|
5–3
|
Broncos
|
5–3
|
9
|
Dolphins, Bills
|
6–3
|
Steelers
|
7–2
|
Raiders, Broncos
|
6–3
|
Dolphins, Bills
|
6–3
|
Raiders, Broncos
|
6–3
|
10
|
Dolphins
|
7–3
|
Steelers
|
8–2
|
Raiders
|
7–3
|
Bills, Colts
|
6–4
|
Seahawks, Broncos
|
6–4
|
11
|
Dolphins, Bills
|
7–4
|
Steelers
|
9–2
|
Raiders
|
8–3
|
Dolphins, Bills
|
7–4
|
5 teams
|
6–5
|
12
|
Dolphins
|
8–4
|
Steelers
|
9–3
|
Raiders
|
9–3
|
3 teams
|
7–5
|
3 teams
|
6–5
|
13
|
Dolphins
|
9–4
|
Steelers
|
9–4
|
Raiders
|
10–3
|
Browns
|
8–5
|
3 teams
|
7–6
|
14
|
Dolphins
|
10–4
|
Steelers
|
9–5
|
Raiders
|
11–3
|
3 teams
|
8–6
|
4 teams
|
7–7
|
15
|
Dolphins
|
11–4
|
Steelers
|
10–5
|
Raiders
|
11–4
|
Broncos
|
9–6
|
4 teams
|
8–7
|
16
|
Dolphins
|
12–4
|
Steelers
|
10–6
|
Raiders
|
12–4
|
Seahawks
|
9–7
|
Broncos
|
9–7
|
Regular season
Scheduling formula
Highlights of the 1983 season included:
- Thanksgiving: Two games were played on Thursday, November 24, featuring Pittsburgh at Detroit and St. Louis at Dallas, with Detroit and Dallas winning.
Final standings
Tiebreakers
- Los Angeles Raiders was the first AFC seed over Miami based on head-to-head victory (1–0).
- Seattle was the first AFC Wild Card ahead of Denver based on better division record (5–3 to Broncos' 3–5) after Cleveland was eliminated from the three-way tie based on head-to-head record (Seattle and Denver 2–1 to Browns' 0–2).
- New England finished ahead of Buffalo in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
- Baltimore finished ahead of N.Y. Jets in the AFC East based on better conference record (5–9, .357 to Jets' 4–8, .333).
- San Diego finished ahead of Kansas City in the AFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
- Minnesota ended up in fourth place in the NFC Central after being eliminated from the three-way tie based on conference record (Chicago 7–7 and Green Bay 6–6 to Vikings' 4–8).
- Green Bay finished ahead of Chicago in the NFC Central based on better record against common opponents (4–4 to Bears' 3–5).
Milestones
The following players set all-time records during the season:
Stadium changes
Schaefer Stadium is renamed Sullivan Stadium after New England Patriots founder and owner Billy Sullivan
Television
This was the second year under the league's five-year broadcast contracts with ABC, CBS, and NBC to televise Monday Night Football, the NFC package, and the AFC package, respectively.[4]
O. J. Simpson replaced Fran Tarkenton as ABC's fill-in color commentator. Howard Cosell then ignited racial controversy during the broadcast of the September 5 MNF game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins when his commentary on Alvin Garrett, an African American wide receiver for Washington, included a reference to "That little monkey".[5] The fallout contributed to Cosell's decision to leave MNF after the season.
Regular season game not broadcast by Network TV