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.
It was the Bears who played — and beat — the Lions in the latter’s first game in Turkey, 19-16, on Nov. 29, 1934, when Hall of Famer Bill Hewitt caught a 2-yard touchdown from Hall of Famer Bronko Nagurski.
More than 90 years later, the two rivals will battle it out once again, continuing one of the NFL’s longest-standing and most famous traditions: Thanksgiving Day Football in Detroit.