1965 NFL playoffs
Dates | December 26, 1965-January 2, 1966 | ||||
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Season | 1965 | ||||
Teams | 3 | ||||
Games played | 2 | ||||
NFL Championship Game site | |||||
Defending champions | Cleveland Browns | ||||
Champions | Green Bay Packers | ||||
Runners-up | Cleveland Browns | ||||
Conference runners-up | |||||
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The 1965 NFL playoffs determined the champion of the National Football League in professional American football for its 1965 season. Although a single championship game between conference winners was the current format for the league, a tie in the Western Conference standings between the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts necessitated a rare tiebreaker playoff, the first in the league in seven years and the first in the Western conference since 1957. A coin flip decided the home team.[1] The teams had played twice during the regular season and Green Bay had won both: 20–17 in
Both teams were hampered on offense without their starting quarterbacks. Colts
Although the championship game was played in 1966 on January 2, it is recognized as part of the 1965 NFL season. It was the latest date for an NFL Championship Game to that point, and the first time in league history that the game was held after all of the college bowl games.
The Playoff Bowl (a consolation game between the conference runners-up) for the 1965 season took place in Miami on January 9, 1966, the Sunday following the NFL championship game. With Matte at quarterback, the Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys 35–3;[10][11] the rusty Cowboys' previous game was three weeks earlier, on December 19. This capped a season where the Western Conference won 15 out of 16 interconference games against the Eastern Conference, including the championship game and Playoff Bowl.
The tiebreaker playoff between Green Bay and Baltimore was the last for the NFL; the league expanded to sixteen teams in four divisions in
Tournament bracket
Western Conference playoff December 26 | NFL Championship January 2, 1966 | ||||||||
E | Cleveland | 12 | |||||||
W | Baltimore | 10 | W | Green Bay | 23 | ||||
W | Green Bay | 13 |
- Both games were at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Western Conference playoff
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Packers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Date: December 26, 1965
- Game time: 1:05 p.m. CST
- Game attendance: 50,484
- Referee: Norm Schachter
Game information |
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Scoring |
NFL Championship Game
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Browns | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Packers | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Date: January 2, 1966
- Game time: 1:05 p.m. CST
- Game attendance: 50,852
- Referee: George Rennix
Game information |
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Scoring
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References
- ^ a b "Matte hopes for Fran's success". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 23, 1965. p. 2B.
- ^ Lea, Bud (September 27, 1965). "Packers ride 'taxi' to 20-17 win". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ Johnson, Chuck (December 13, 1965). "Hornung scores 5 touchdowns as Packers break Colts, 42-27". Milwaukee Journal. p. 17, part 2.
- ^ a b "Rule Brown out of game". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. December 21, 1965. p. 38.
- ^ Hartnett, Ken (December 26, 1965). "Packers battle Colts, Chargers meet Bills today". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. D1.
- ^ a b c "Packers edge Colts: injuries mar GB victory". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 27, 1965. p. 1C.
- ^ a b "Packers win, 13 to 10, for NFL Western title". Milwaukee Sentinel. December 27, 1965. p. 1, part 1.
- ^ a b c Lea, Bud (December 27, 1965). "Chandler 'kicks' Packers to title". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ a b Maule, Tex (January 3, 1966). "The point of some return". Sports Illustrated. p. 10.
- ^ "Baltimore whips Cowboys 35-3 in NFL battle of second-bests". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 10, 1966. p. 3B.
- ^ "Matte leads Colts to humiliating win". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. January 10, 1966. p. 9.
- ^ Lea, Bud (January 3, 1966). "Packers blast Browns for title". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ Hand, John (January 3, 1966). "Green Bay's ball-control tactics beat Browns for title, 23-12". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. 18.
- ^ Maule, Tex (January 10, 1966). "A cool masterpiece". Sports Illustrated. p. 14.