Get ready for a Thanksgiving Day showdown with a side of drama. The Detroit Lions will host the Chicago Bears on Nov. 26, 2026, at Ford Field in their annual Thanksgiving game, per The Schultz Report. This isn't just any divisional matchup—it's a reunion with a twist.

Ben Johnson, the former Lions offensive coordinator who left to take the Bears' head coaching job, will return to Detroit. And if you think there's bad blood, think again—at least off the field. Lions head coach Dan Campbell shared a candid take on their relationship at the NFL's annual meeting in March. "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."

Johnson led the Bears to an NFC North title in his first season, but the Lions had the upper hand in their two meetings last year. Detroit dominated Chicago 52-21 at Ford Field in Week 2, then edged them 19-16 in the season finale. The Bears finished 11-6 and reached the divisional round, while the Lions went 9-8 and missed the playoffs.

Thanksgiving has been a tough stage for the Lions—they've lost eight of their last nine holiday games. Their sole win in that stretch? A victory over the Bears in 2024. They fell to the Packers in 2025.

The Lions already have two other marquee games locked in: a Thursday night road trip to face the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 17 at Buffalo's new stadium, and an international game against the New England Patriots in Munich on Nov. 15. The full 272-game schedule drops Thursday at 8 p.m.

For Lions fans, this Thanksgiving is about more than turkey and football—it's a chance to spoil a former coach's homecoming. And with Campbell's competitive friendship with Johnson, you can bet both sides will be ready to bring the heat.