Imagine spending Thanksgiving with the family, watching the beloved Chicago Bears take on the Detroit Lions, only for Caleb Williams and his team to completely collapse and lose in the worst way. Horrible right?
Well, Bleacher Report writer Gary Davenport believes that could be the case, as he named the Bears-Lions Thanksgiving game as one of the 10 most pivotal matchups of the 2026 season just after the schedule was released. Davenport likes the Lions to win convincingly, 37-24.
"The story of this game will be Chicago's ability to slow down a Detroit offense that was top-five in both yards and points per game in 2025. The last time the Bears visited Ford Field, the Lions scored 50 points on them. They also haven't beaten the Lions in Detroit since 2021—also on Thanksgiving. The Lions win by double digits, and Chicago's chances of repeating as division champs take a major hit."
Bears are predicted to get blown out on Thanksgiving to the Lions
What a disastrous situation that would be for the Bears, as that would be head coach Ben Johnson losing his third straight game against the team for which he was the offensive coordinator from 2022 through 2022. That would leave the rivalry a bit lopsided.
This would also be horrible for the Bears, as they will be in a tight NFC North race against the other three teams. Detroit already has the easiest schedule in the NFL heading into the 2026 season, so any loss to them would hurt Chicago's chances of the division title and postseason seeding.
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The hope would be that the Bears are in such a good situation with the team that they could lose and still be in the driver's seat in the NFC North, but who knows if that would be the case. A loss to Detroit would hurt the Bears in so many ways, going into the last month-plus of the season.
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