The 1971 Washington Redskins was the team's 40th in the National Football League, and their 35th in Washington, D.C.. The 1971 was the first with the Redskins for coach George Allen, who had been the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams for the previous five seasons. Coming into the 1971 season, the team had not made it to the post-season for 26 seasons. The Redskins had had only four winning seasons since their last playoff berth in 1945. The Redskins went 9–4–1, good for second place in the NFC East, and a wild card berth, where they would ultimately fall to San Francisco, 24–20.