The 1982 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 8-8 record from 1981. The 1982 NFL season was shortened from 16 games per team to 9 games because of a players' strike. The NFL adopted a special 16-team playoff tournament; eight teams from each conference were seeded 1–8, and division standings were ignored. The Redskins would go on to beat the Miami Dolphins 27-17 to win Super Bowl XVII.