1965 San Francisco 49ers season

The 49ers had a strong QB–WR duo in John Brodie and Dave Parks, with a lethal playmaking ability that many compared to Joe Montana and Jerry Rice.

The 49ers lost their first game on October 3 against the Baltimore Colts despite a career day for Parks, who totaled 231 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns from 9 receptions.

On the road against the Detroit Lions, the 49ers picked up a huge win thanks to a 75-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by defensive end Clark Miller.

The 27–21 victory was the start of a huge late-season surge as the 49ers began looking ahead to a potential playoffs berth despite the three straight losses.

On November 21, the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Los Angeles Rams in what turned out to be a thrilling conference matchup decided by a 22-yard game-winning field goal from Tommy Davis.

John Brodie made a swift recovery from his injured shoulder, tossing a career-high five passing touchdowns and scoring 45 points on offense in a revenge win from their loss to Minnesota earlier in the season.

The 49ers' playoff hopes came to a disappointing end after the team was destroyed at Wrigley Field by the Chicago Bears, losing 61–20 as Gale Sayers scored an NFL-record 6 touchdowns in the blowout.