# 1965 Chicago Bears season

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. Sayers would set an NFL rookie record with 22 touchdowns in one season. The six-touchdown performance tied an NFL record and set a new Bears record.
The 1965 Bears draft class was named No. 8 on NFL Top 10 draft classes.

## Regular season
### Schedule

| 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. ||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 24 |
| • 49ers | 0 | 24 | 21 | 7 | 52 |

#### Week 2

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| • Rams | 0 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 30 |

#### Week 3

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| • Packers | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 23 |

#### Week 4

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rams | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| • Bears | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
* Rudy Bukich 16/22, 299 Yds

#### Week 5

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Bears | 14 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 45 |
| Vikings | 0 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 37 |
* Gale Sayers 297 all-purpose Yds

#### Week 6

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| • Bears | 10 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 38 |

#### Week 7

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| • Bears | 0 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 31 |

#### Week 8

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Colts | 0 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 26 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |

#### Week 9

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| • Bears | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 34 |

#### Week 10

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Bears | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Lions | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |

#### Week 11

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Bears | 7 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |

#### Week 12

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Bears | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Colts | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Week 13

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Bears | 13 | 14 | 13 | 21 | 61 |
at Wrigley Field • Chicago, Illinois
* Date: December 12
* Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C) • Wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
49ers
John Brodie 19/37, 250 Yds, 2 TD, INT
Ken Willard 10 Rush, 24 Yds
Dave Parks 9 Rec, 129 Yds, TD
Bears
Rudy Bukich 16/32, 247 Yds, 3 TD
Gale Sayers 9 Rush, 114 Yds, 4 TD
Jimmy Jones 3 Rec, 113 Yds, TD :
Gale Sayers Six Touchdown Game. His last touchdown came on a 85-yard punt return.
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | SF | CHI |
| 1 | | | | | Bears | Gale Sayers 80-yard touchdown reception from Rudy Bukich, 2-point pass failed | 0 | 6 |
| 1 | | | | | Bears | Mike Ditka 29-yard touchdown reception from Rudy Bukich, Roger LeClerc kick good | 0 | 13 |
| 2 | | | | | 49ers | Dave Parks 9-yard touchdown reception from John Brodie, Tommy Davis kick good | 7 | 13 |
| 2 | | | | | Bears | Gale Sayers 21-yard touchdown run, Roger LeClerc kick good | 7 | 20 |
| 2 | | | | | 49ers | John David Crow 15-yard touchdown reception from John Brodie, Tommy Davis kick no good | 13 | 20 |
| 2 | | | | | Bears | Gale Sayers 7-yard touchdown run, Roger LeClerc kick good | 13 | 27 |
| 3 | | | | | Bears | Gale Sayers 50-yard touchdown run, Roger LeClerc kick good | 13 | 34 |
| 3 | | | | | Bears | Gale Sayers 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point run failed | 13 | 40 |
| 4 | | | | | 49ers | Dave Kopay 2-yard touchdown run, Tommy Davis kick good | 20 | 40 |
| 4 | | | | | Bears | Jimmy Jones 8-yard touchdown reception from Rudy Bukich, Roger LeClerc kick good | 20 | 47 |
| 4 | | | | | Bears | Punt returned 85 yards for touchdown by Gale Sayers, Roger LeClerc kick good | 20 | 54 |
| 4 | | | | | Bears | Jon Arnett 2-yard touchdown run, Roger LeClerc kick good | 20 | 61 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 20 | 61 |

#### Week 14

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Vikings | 0 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 24 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 17 |

## Standings

NFL Western Conference :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Green Bay Packers | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 8–3–1 | 316 | 224 | T1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 8–3–1 | 389 | 284 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 7–5 | 409 | 275 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 6–5–1 | 421 | 402 | T1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 5–7 | 383 | 403 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 6 | 7 | 1 | .462 | 4–7–1 | 257 | 295 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–10 | 269 | 328 | L1 |
    Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

## Awards and records

* Gale Sayers, NFL rookie record, most touchdowns in one season (22)
* Gale Sayers, NFL record (tied), most touchdowns in one game (6)
* Gale Sayers, club record, most touchdowns in one game (6)