1965 Baltimore Colts season


The 1965 Baltimore Colts season was the 13th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1965 season with a record of 10 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie, tied for first in the Western Conference with the Green Bay Packers. Although the Packers won both regular season games over the Colts, no tiebreaking system was in place in 1965, and a playoff game was required to determine the Western Conference champion, who would host the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Browns for the NFL title.
The Colts experienced the Sports Illustrated cover jinx this year, when linebacker Dennis Gaubatz was featured in late November; the article on the team's defense expected the 9–1 Colts to soon clinch the Western title.

Personnel

Staff/Coaches

Roster

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame SiteAttendance
1September 19Minnesota VikingsW 35–161–0Memorial Stadium
56,562
2September 26at Green Bay PackersL 17–201–1Milwaukee County Stadium
48,130
3October 3San Francisco 49ersW 27–242–1Memorial Stadium
58,609
4October 10Detroit LionsW 31–73–1Memorial Stadium
60,238
5October 17at Washington RedskinsW 38–74–1D.C. Stadium
50,405
6October 24Los Angeles RamsW 35–205–1Memorial Stadium
45,827
7October 31at San Francisco 49ersW 34–286–1Kezar Stadium
45,827
8November 7at Chicago BearsW 26–217–1Wrigley Field
45,656
9November 14at Minnesota VikingsW 41–218–1Metropolitan Stadium
47,426
10November 21Philadelphia EaglesW 34–249–1Memorial Stadium
60,238
11November 25at Detroit LionsT 24–249–1–1Tiger Stadium
55,036
12December 5Chicago BearsL 0–139–2–1Memorial Stadium
60,238
13December 12Green Bay PackersL 27–429–3–1Memorial Stadium
60,238
14December 18at Los Angeles RamsW 20–1710–3–1L.A. Memorial Coliseum
46,636

Standings

Postseason

Because the Colts and Packers finished the regular season with identical 10–3–1 records, a tiebreaker playoff game was needed to decide the Western Conference champion, which delayed the NFL championship game a week, as the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Browns stood idle.
The Western Conference playoff game was played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay the day after Christmas and the Colts led the Packers 10–0 at halftime, with third-string quarterback Tom Matte. The Packers, with back-up quarterback Zeke Bratkowski in for injured Bart Starr, tied it up late in the fourth quarter on a controversial 22-yard field goal. Video replays appeared to show the kicked ball sailing wide of the right upright – which, subsequently, resulted in 1) a re-design of NFL goalposts, and 2) changing the placement of an official directly under each upright on field-goal attempts). The official in question, Jim Tunney, always maintained that he made the correct call and that the flight of the ball over the goalpost was affected by the wind before it veered to the right. The Packers won the game 13–10 in overtime with a 25-yard field goal. The following week the Packers defeated the Cleveland Browns for the NFL title, their third of five under head coach Vince Lombardi and first of three straight.
WeekDateOpponentResultGame SiteAttendance
ConferenceDecember 26, 1965at Green Bay PackersL 10–13 OTLambeau Field
50,484
Playoff BowlJanuary 9, 1966Dallas CowboysW 35–3Orange Bowl
65,569