2026 Detroit Lions schedule leak: Thanksgiving opponent rumored to be division rival

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16), defensive tackle DJ Reader (98), wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14), running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26), linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad (69) celebrate their win against the Chicago Bears with a turkey drumstick after winning 23-20 on Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024.

| Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images According to a report from NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the Detroit Lions will host the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving in 2026. While the NFL strives to make this an exciting matchup, this is a pretty tame result for those looking for change.

This will mark the fifth time in the last six seasons (coach Dan Campbell’s tenure) that the Lions have hosted a division rival on the holiday, facing the Bears in 2021, 2024, and now 2026, as well as the Packers in 2023 and 2025. The Buffalo Bills remain the only outlier in 2022. The Bears and Lions have faced off 20 times in their teams’ histories—the second most times two teams have met on Thanksgiving in NFL history.

The Bears took home a 16-14 win in 2021 during Campbell’s first season in Detroit, while Campbell led the Lions to a 23-20 victory back in 2024. While this matchup may not be new and exciting, it certainly has plenty of storylines. Bears coach Ben Johnson will be returning to Detroit for the second time since leaving, and will be hoping to improve on last season’s results, when Detroit dog-walked them 52-21.