| Team: | Chicago Bears |
| Year: | 1965 |
| Record: | 9–5 |
| Division Place: | 3rd Western |
| Coach: | George Halas |
| General Manager: | George Halas |
| Owner: | George Halas |
| Stadium: | Wrigley Field |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Shortnavlink: | Bears seasons |
The 1965 Chicago Bears season was their 46th regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with a 9–5 record, earning them a third-place finish in the NFL Western Conference. The club improved over the dismal 5–9 record of the previous season.–QB Rudy Bukich 176 for 312, 2,641 yards, 20 touchdowns.They started the season 0–3, but thanks to rookies Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus, the team won 9 of the last 11 games. Sayers had a magnificent rookie season, and in one game against the San Francisco 49ers at Chicago's Wrigley Field on December 12, he scored six touchdowns in a 61–20 Bears win, the first time the Bears scored 61 points in a regular-season game.[1] Sayers would set an NFL rookie record with 22 touchdowns in one season.[2] The six-touchdown performance tied an NFL record and set a new Bears record.[3]
The 1965 Bears draft class was named No. 8 on NFL Top 10 draft classes.[4]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 24–52 | 0–1 | Kezar Stadium | |||
| 2 | September 26 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 28–30 | 0–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | |||
| 3 | October 3 | at Green Bay Packers | L 14–23 | 0–3 | Lambeau Field | |||
| 4 | October 10 | Los Angeles Rams | W 31–6 | 1–3 | Wrigley Field | |||
| 5 | October 17 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 45–37 | 2–3 | Metropolitan Stadium | |||
| 6 | October 24 | Detroit Lions | W 38–10 | 3–3 | Wrigley Field | |||
| 7 | October 31 | Green Bay Packers | W 31–10 | 4–3 | Wrigley Field | |||
| 8 | November 7 | Baltimore Colts | L 21–26 | 4–4 | Wrigley Field | |||
| 9 | November 14 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 34–13 | 5–4 | Wrigley Field | |||
| 10 | November 21 | at Detroit Lions | W 17–10 | 6–4 | Tiger Stadium | |||
| 11 | November 28 | at New York Giants | W 35–14 | 7–4 | Yankee Stadium | |||
| 12 | December 5 | at Baltimore Colts | W 13–0 | 8–4 | Memorial Stadium | |||
| 13 | December 12 | San Francisco 49ers | W 61–20 | 9–4 | Wrigley Field | |||
| 14 | December 19 | Minnesota Vikings | L 17–24 | 9–5 | Wrigley Field | |||
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
Gale Sayers Six Touchdown Game. His last touchdown came on a 85-yard punt return.