Caleb Williams, Bears vs. Goff, Lions Set for Thanksgiving NFL Schedule Ahead of Full 2026 Release

The NFL's Thanksgiving Day schedule will kickoff with an NFC North clash between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions.

Ahead of the full schedule release on Thursday, the NFL announced the Bears-Lions matchup at Ford Field will be played on Nov. 26 at 1 p.m. ET.

This will mark the second time in the last three seasons that the Lions and Bears will meet on Thanksgiving Day.

Detroit held on for a 23-20 win in 2024 in the infamous game when then-Bears head coach Matt Eberflus opted not to call his final timeout after Caleb Williams was sacked with 30 seconds remaining, leading to the offense only getting off one more play before time expired.

It wound up being the final game with the Bears for Eberflus, who was fired the following day.

The Bears-Lions matchup joins the previously-announced game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys in the late-afternoon slot on Thanksgiving Day.

In addition to the traditional Thursday games during the holiday week, the NFL is also hosting its first-ever Thanksgiving eve game between the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.

Expectations are incredibly high in Chicago after the Bears won the NFC North last season in Ben Johnson's first year as head coach following his three-year stint as Detroit's offensive coordinator from 2022 to '24.

Johnson's decision to remain in the division when he took a head-coaching job was met with some backlash from Lions players.

Detroit safety Brian Branch told reporters after a 52-21 win over Chicago in Week 2 last season they were "very motivated" for the game because it "felt like we'd been betrayed" by Johnson's move.

Despite Johnson's overall success with the Bears in 2025, one thing he wasn't able to do was beat Detroit. The Lions won both matchups in the regular season, outscoring them 71-37.

Detroit is still trying to figure out how to replace Johnson. John Morton, who was named offensive coordinator in January 2025, lost his play-calling duties midway through the season and was fired at the end of the year.

Drew Petzing, after spending the past three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, was hired in January to be the Lions new offensive coordinator.

Detroit has won four straight games over Chicago dating back to the 2024 season. The Bears haven't won in Detroit since Week 12 of the 2021 season.