The Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 20th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 14th in Washington, D.C. The team improved on their 3–9 record from 1950 and finished 5–7.

Although the NFL formally desegregated in 1946, many teams were slow to allow black athletes to compete even after the formal barrier had fallen. None were less willing to desegregate than the Washington Redskins, who sought to be the "home team" for a vast Southern market. The Redskins would remain the last bastion of racial segregation in the NFL, refusing to include a single black player on their roster until 1962.Ryan Basen, "Fifty Years Ago, Last Outpost of Segregation in NFL Fell," New York Times, Oct. 6, 2012.

Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 at Los Angeles Rams L 14–58 0–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 91,985 2 at San Francisco 49ers L 14–45 0–2 Kezar Stadium 27,280 3 vs. Detroit Lions W 10–7 1–2 Sandie Stadium 12,000 4 vs. New York Giants W 14–10 2–2 Legion Field 20,000 5 vs. New York Yanks W 52–14 3–2 State Fair Stadium 10,000 6 vs. Chicago Bears L 19–21 3–3 Blues Stadium 8,212 7 Green Bay Packers L 7–14 3–4 George Washington Stadium 6,000

Regular season Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 30 at Detroit Lions L 17–35 0–1 Briggs Stadium 27,831 Recap 2 October 7 New York Giants L 14–35 0–2 Griffith Stadium 23,800 Recap 3 October 14 at Cleveland Browns L 0–45 0–3 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 33,968 Recap 4 October 21 Chicago Cardinals W 7–3 1–3 Griffith Stadium 22,960 Recap 5 October 28 at Philadelphia Eagles W 27–23 2–3 Shibe Park 20,437 Recap 6 November 4 Chicago Bears L 0–27 2–4 Griffith Stadium 21,737 Recap 7 November 11 at New York Giants L 14–28 2–5 Polo Grounds 21,242 Recap 8 November 18 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 22–7 3–5 Forbes Field 15,060 Recap 9 November 25 Los Angeles Rams W 31–21 4–5 Griffith Stadium 26,307 Recap 10 December 2 Philadelphia Eagles L 21–35 4–6 Griffith Stadium 23,738 Recap 11 December 9 at Chicago Cardinals W 20–17 5–6 Comiskey Park 9,459 Recap 12 December 16 Pittsburgh Steelers L 10–20 5–7 Griffith Stadium 18,096 Recap Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.

Standings

Roster 1951 Washington Redskins final rosterQuarterbacks

S

Running backs

K/P

Receivers Offensive linemen G T T/DE T/DT G/LB C G

Defensive linemen MG DE DT DT/T MG/C DT DE/LB/WR DELinebackers

C FB

Defensive backs S/P CB CB S/QB

Reserve list DT (Military) RB (Military) P/S/RB (Military) QB (Military) T (Military)

rookies in italics

References