1972 Washington Redskins season

The 1972 Washington Redskins season was the 41st in the National Football League (NFL) and the 36th in Washington, D.C. The Redskins were trying to build on the success of the previous season, in which they had finished 9–4–1 and made the postseason for the first time in 26 seasons. They ultimately finished the year 11–3 (the best record in the Allen era).

Head coach George Allen, in just his second season with the team, took the Redskins to their first Super Bowl. The team, who had missed the postseason in the entirety of the 1950s and 1960s, won its first postseason game since 1943, and appeared in its first league championship game since 1945.

The NFC champion Redskins would ultimately lose a very close Super Bowl VII, 14–7, to the undefeated Miami Dolphins.

The 1972 season was the first in which the team wore its longtime logo, which featured a Native American head in profile within a gold circle. The logo would stay with the team for the next 48 seasons until both it and the team nickname were retired after the 2019 season. With the Washington Senators relocating to Texas in 1971, the Baltimore Bullets not relocating until the summer of 1973, and the Washington Capitals having their inaugural season in 1974, the 1972 Redskins were at the time the D.C. area's only team playing in one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.

Schedule
Pre Season Game Officials

Week P1 (Friday, August 4, 1972): vs. Baltimore Colts

 * Time of Game:

Week P2 (Friday, August 11, 1972): vs. Denver Broncos

 * Time of Game: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Week P3 (Friday, August 18, 1972): vs. Philadelphia Eagles

 * Time of Game:

Week P4 (Friday, August 25, 1972): at Detroit Lions

 * Time of Game:

Week P5 (Thursday, August 31, 1972): vs. Miami Dolphins

 * Time of Game: 2 hours, 27 minutes

Week P6 (Saturday, September 9, 1972): at Pittsburgh Steelers

 * Time of Game:

Week 1 (Monday, September 18, 1972): at Minnesota Vikings

 * Time of Game:

Week 2 (Sunday, September 24, 1972): vs. St. Louis Cardinals

 * Time of Game:

Week 3 (Sunday, October 1, 1972): at New England Patriots

 * Time of Game: 2 hours, 34 minutes

Week 4 (Sunday, October 8, 1972): vs. Philadelphia Eagles

 * Time of Game:

Week 5 (Sunday, October 15, 1972): at St. Louis Cardinals

 * Time of Game:

Week 6 (Sunday, October 22, 1972): vs. Dallas Cowboys

 * Time of Game:

Week 7 (Sunday, October 29, 1972): at New York Giants

 * Time of Game:

Week 8 (Sunday, November 5, 1972): at New York Jets

 * Time of Game:

Week 9 (Sunday, November 12, 1972): vs. New York Giants

 * Time of Game:

Week 10 (Monday, November 20, 1972): vs. Atlanta Falcons

 * Time of Game:

Week 11 (Sunday, November 26, 1972): vs. Green Bay Packers

 * Time of Game:

Week 12 (Sunday, December 3, 1972): at Philadelphia Eagles

 * Time of Game:

Week 13 (Saturday, December 9, 1972): at Dallas Cowboys

 * Time of Game:

Week 14 (Sunday, December 17, 1972): vs. Buffalo Bills

 * Time of Game:

Stats
Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Kicking

Punting

Kick Return

Punt Return

Sacks

Interceptions

Fumbles

Tackles

Scoring Summary

Team

Quarter-by-quarter

Playoffs
Playoff Game Officials

NFC Divisional Playoffs (Sunday, December 24, 1972): vs. Green Bay Packers

 * Point spread: Redskins –5
 * Time of Game:

NFC Championship Game (Sunday, December 31, 1972): vs. Dallas Cowboys

 * Point spread: Redskins –3
 * Time of Game:

Super Bowl VII (Sunday, January 14, 1973): vs. Miami Dolphins

 * Point spread: Redskins –3
 * Over/Under: 33.0 (under)
 * Time of Game: 2 hours, 40 minutes

Awards and records

 * Larry Brown, NFL MVP
 * Larry Brown, Bert Bell Award
 * Larry Brown, AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year
 * Billy Kilmer, NFL leader (tied) in touchdown passes (19). NFL leader in passer rating (84.8).