The Detroit Lions are scheduled to host the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day in 2026. The game will mark the 86th time the Lions have played on Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving Tradition Continues
The Lions will oppose a division rival for the fourth straight season. The game will be a Week 12 showdown. As is tradition, the game will mark the beginning of the league’s annual Thanksgiving tripleheader. This tripleheader is the centerpiece of a five-game Thanksgiving week slate that begins on Wednesday, Nov. 25, with the Green Bay Packers visiting the Los Angeles Rams. It concludes with the yearly Black Friday game.
Bears Aim to Reclaim Holiday Edge
The Bears are the reigning NFC North champions, having halted Detroit’s two-year title run during their first year under the guidance of head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson is the Lions’ former offensive coordinator. Johnson and the Bears went 0-2 against the Lions, though.
The Bears own the holiday edge over the Lions, 11-9. Only the Lions and Green Bay Packers have met on Thanksgiving more than Detroit and Chicago. Detroit is 38-46-2 all time on Thanksgiving, having first played on the holiday in 1934 and annually since 1945.
Rematch in the Den
The upcoming game could be a marquee matchup. 2024 NFL Draft No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams will lead his Bears into the Lions den, where 2016 No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, star running back Jahmyr Gibbs and standout pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson await.
The Lions are coming off an unsettling 9-8 playoff-less season, but it was their fourth consecutive winning campaign. Much has changed for the better since head coach Dan Campbell took over in 2021, including a 23-20 victory over Williams and the Bears in the 2024 Thanksgiving Game.
Following that turkey day travesty for Williams and the Bears, the stage for more rivalry drama is set.
A Storied History
It was the Bears who played — and defeated — the Lions in the latter’s first-ever Turkey Day tussle, prevailing, 19-16, on Nov. 29, 1934. Hall of Famer Bill Hewitt caught a 2-yard, game-winning touchdown from Hall of Famer Bronko Nagurski.
- The Lions first played on Thanksgiving in 1934.
- The Lions have played annually since 1945.
- The Bears defeated the Lions in their first Thanksgiving Day game, 19-16.
More than 90 years later, the two long-time rivals will battle once more, continuing one of the NFL’s longest-standing and most celebrated traditions: Thanksgiving Day football in Detroit.