- WHERE: Ford Field (Detroit)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | CBS, Paramount+, NFL+
No franchise has as long a history on Thanksgiving Day as the Detroit Lions.
Making their 86th appearance in the festival, the Lions will square off against division rivals for the fourth straight season when they host the Chicago Bears in the Week 12 marquee.
The Bears are the reigning NFC North champions, having halted Detroit’s two-year title run in their first year under former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. However, Johnson and the Bears went 0-2 against the Lions.
It might not be the friendliest of holiday gatherings when the 2024 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams leads his Bears into the Lions den, where the 2016 no. 1 overall pick Jared Goffstar running back Jahmyr Gibbs and standout pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson wait
While the Lions are coming off a tumultuous 9-8 non-playoff season, this was their fourth straight winning campaign. In fact, a lot has changed for the better since head coach Dan Campbell took over in 2021, including a 23-20 win over Williams and the Bears in the 2024 Thanksgiving game. Chicago was down 23-7 before the Bears rallied, only for a clock management stunt by Williams and the Bears to complete the rout. The next day, head coach Matt Eberflus was fired, opening the door for Johnson’s arrival. The win was the Lions’ first Thanksgiving victory since 2016.
After turkey day for Williams and the Bears, the stage is set for more rivalry drama. Only the Lions and Green Bay Packers have met on Thanksgiving more than Detroit and Chicago. Bears have the holiday edge, 11-9. Detroit is 38-46-2 all-time on Thanksgiving, having first played on the holiday in 1934 and every year since 1945.
These two longtime rivals will battle it out once again, continuing one of the NFL’s longest-running and most storied traditions: Thanksgiving Day Football in Detroit.
– Grant Gordon