Mark your calendars, Lions fans—Thanksgiving 2026 just got a whole lot spicier. The Detroit Lions will host the Chicago Bears in their annual Thanksgiving Day game on November 26 at Ford Field, according to a Wednesday report from The Schultz Report. And if you thought last year's meetings were intense, wait until you see what's brewing.
This matchup carries extra emotional weight. Ben Johnson, the former Lions offensive coordinator who helped Detroit's offense soar from 2022-2024, left for the rival Bears last offseason—a move that broke more than a few hearts in Motown. Now, he's returning to the place where he once called plays, but this time he'll be on the opposite sideline, trying to spoil turkey day for the home crowd.
Johnson's first season as Chicago's head coach was a mixed bag. He led the Bears to an NFC North title and an 11-6 record, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs. But he went 0-2 against his former team, including a lopsided 52-21 loss at Ford Field in Week 2 and a tight 19-16 defeat in the season finale. The Lions, meanwhile, finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs—a reminder that division rivalries can be unpredictable.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell, speaking at the NFL's annual meeting in March, didn't mince words about his relationship with Johnson. "It's a good relationship," Campbell said. "Our families were around each other, his kids, his wife, him. When you're with somebody as long as I was with Ben, you're going to have a relationship. Now, when we play each other we want to beat the crap out of each other—that's the nature of the business. But that doesn't mean he's not a friend."
The Thanksgiving game is just one of several high-profile matchups already locked in for the Lions. They'll also travel to Buffalo on Thursday, September 17 for the first game at the Bills' new stadium, and host the New England Patriots in Munich, Germany, on November 15 as part of the NFL's international series.
One thing to watch: Detroit's recent Thanksgiving track record hasn't been kind. The Lions have lost eight of their last nine holiday games, with their only win coming against—you guessed it—the Bears in 2024. They fell to Green Bay in 2025. So while the turkey and tradition are always special, the Lions will be hungry to flip that script when Johnson and the Bears come to town.
The full 272-game NFL schedule drops Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, but for Lions and Bears fans, this Thanksgiving date is already circled in red.