| Team: | Minnesota Vikings |
| Year: | 1965 |
| Record: | 7–7 |
| Division Place: | 5th NFL Western |
| Coach: | Norm Van Brocklin |
| General Manager: | Jim Finks |
| Stadium: | Metropolitan Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | T Grady Alderman FB Bill Brown QB Fran Tarkenton C Mick Tingelhoff |
| Ap All-Pros: | C Mick Tingelhoff (1st team) T Grady Alderman (2nd team) FB Bill Brown (2nd team) |
| Uniform: | File:Vikings 1965.png |
| Shortnavlink: | Vikings seasons |
The 1965 season was the Minnesota Vikings' fifth in the National Football League (NFL). Under head coach Norm van Brocklin, the team finished with a 7–7 record.
See main article: 1965 NFL draft.
| Pro Bowler |
The Vikings traded RB Hugh McElhenny to the New York Giants in exchange for the Giants' second-round selection (15th overall) and 1964 fourth-round selection (53rd overall).
The Vikings traded their third-round selection (36th overall) to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for RB Bob Ferguson.
The Vikings traded DT Mike Bundra to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Cleveland's fourth-round selection (55th overall) (and by some reports their 1966 6th round selection (90th overall)).
The Vikings traded their fifth-round selection (64th overall) to the Detroit Lions in exchange for WR Tom Hall and HB Bruce Zellmer.
The Vikings traded their seventh-round selection (92nd overall) and 1966 sixth-round selection (87th overall) to the Detroit Lions in exchange for DT Mike Bundra and E Larry Vargo.
The Vikings traded DT Roy Williams to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for San Francisco's eighth-round selection (100th overall).
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance[1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 14 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 31–21 | 1–0 | 39,240 | ||
| 2 | August 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 35–21 | 2–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | 43,125 | |
| 3 | August 28 | Washington Redskins | W 20–16 | 3–0 | 20,426 | ||
| 4 | September 3 | Dallas Cowboys | W 57–17 | 4–0 | 41,500 | ||
| 5 | September 11 | W 24–9 | 5–0 | 14,250 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | at Baltimore Colts | L 16–35 | 0–1 | Memorial Stadium | 56,562 | |
| 2 | September 26 | Detroit Lions | L 29–31 | 0–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,826 | |
| 3 | October 3 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 38–35 | 1–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 36,755 | |
| 4 | October 9 | New York Giants | W 40–14 | 2–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 44,283 | |
| 5 | October 17 | Chicago Bears | L 37–45 | 2–3 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,426 | |
| 6 | October 24 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 42–41 | 3–3 | Kezar Stadium | 42,680 | |
| 7 | October 31 | at Cleveland Browns | W 27–17 | 4–3 | 83,505 | ||
| 8 | November 7 | Los Angeles Rams | W 24–13 | 5–3 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,426 | |
| 9 | November 14 | Baltimore Colts | L 21–41 | 5–4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,426 | |
| 10 | November 21 | Green Bay Packers | L 13–38 | 5–5 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,426 | |
| 11 | November 28 | San Francisco 49ers | L 24–45 | 5–6 | Metropolitan Stadium | 40,306 | |
| 12 | December 5 | at Green Bay Packers | L 19–24 | 5–7 | Lambeau Field | 50,852 | |
| 13 | December 12 | at Detroit Lions | W 29–7 | 6–7 | Tiger Stadium | 45,420 | |
| 14 | December 19 | at Chicago Bears | W 24–17 | 7–7 | Wrigley Field | 46,604 |
| width=150px style="" | Category | width=150px style="" | Player(s) | width=75px style="" | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2,609 | ||||
| Passing touchdowns | 19 | ||||
| Rushing yards | 699 | ||||
| Rushing touchdowns | 10 | ||||
| Receiving yards | 896 | ||||
| Receiving touchdowns | 7 | ||||
| Points | 113 | ||||
| Kickoff return yards | 602 | ||||
| Punt return yards | 63 | ||||
| Interceptions | 6 | ||||
| Sacks | Jim Marshall | 7.5 |
| width=150px style="" | Category | width=100px style="" | Total yards | width=110px style="" | Yards per game | width=80px style="" | NFL rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 2,546 | 181.9 | 8th | ||||
| Rushing offense | 2,278 | 162.7 | 2nd | ||||
| Total offense | 4,824 | 344.6 | 4th | ||||
| Passing defense | 2,493 | 178.1 | 6th | ||||
| Rushing defense | 1,755 | 125.4 | 9th | ||||
| Total defense | 4,248 | 303.4 | 7th |