Chicago Bears 2026 schedule: Thanksgiving game on tap vs. Detroit Lions for 5th time in 9 seasons

(Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

The Chicago Bears once again will play the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field in Detroit.

For the second time in three years and the fifth time since 2018, the Bears and Lions will kick off the NFL’s Thanksgiving slate at noon CT on CBS. This year, Thanksgiving is on Nov. 26 and falls in Week 12 of the NFL season.

The Bears and Lions last played on Thanksgiving in 2024, in what proved to be former coach Matt Eberflus’ final game with the Bears. Eberflus and the Bears famously squandered the final 32 seconds of that game without calling a timeout, and the Lions escaped with a 23-20 victory.

Eberflus was fired the next day, and two months later the Bears hired coach Ben Johnson away from Detroit, where he was the offensive coordinator.

The Bears and Lions are expected to be contenders in the competitive NFC North. The Bears won the division last season, while the Lions won back-to-back division titles in 2023 and 2024.

Despite winning the NFC North last year, the Bears went 0-2 against the Lions, including a 52-21 rout in Week 2 at Ford Field that was their biggest loss of the season. This will be the Bears’ first game in Detroit since then. The Lions also won in Week 18 at Soldier Field.

Thanksgiving continues to be a marquee event for the NFL, which is adding a game this year on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. The Los Angeles Rams will host the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 25.