NFL schedule 2026: Bears to visit Lions on Thanksgiving in NFC North showdown on CBS

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The full NFL schedule will not be released until Thursday night, but we have been getting leaks in dribs and drabs over the last few days. One of the latest leaks comes courtesy of us here at CBS Sports, which announced on CBS MORNINGS on Thursday that the Detroit Lions will host the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day in a 1 p.m. ET game. The game will be broadcast on CBS and Paramount+.

The Bears and Lions, of course, meet twice a year as NFC North rivals. Last season, Detroit blasted Chicago 52-21 in Week 2 and then beat the Bears again, 19-16, in Week 18. However, the Bears got the last laugh as they went 11-6 on the season and made the playoffs and eventually reached the NFC divisional round, while the Lions went from being one of the Super Bowl favorites to finishing just 9-8 and missing the postseason entirely.

These two teams met on Thanksgiving in 2024 in what was a highly memorable game that resulted in the firing of former Bears coach Matt Eberflus, who was eventually replaced by former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who then led Chicago to last season's turnaround. It was the first time that the Bears had ever fired a coach midseason, with the clock management debacle at the end of the game clearly being the last straw in the Eberflus era.

The Lions have played more Thanksgiving Day games than any team in NFL history, going 38-46-2 between 1934 and 2025. The Bears are tied for the third-most Thanksgiving games, going 20-16-2 in their contests between 1920 and 2024.

Where to watch Bears at Lions on Thanksgiving

Date:Nov. 26| Time: 1p.m. ET Ford Field (Detroit)