Network executives are banking on Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson, handing the Chicago Bears five primetime slots and a historic holiday doubleheader to capitalize on record-breaking viewership numbers.

For the second time in three years and the fifth time since 2018, the Bears and Lions will kick off the NFL’s Thanksgiving slate at noon CT on CBS. This year, Thanksgiving is on Nov. 26 and falls in Week 12 of the NFL season.

The Chicago Bears were the darlings of the NFL last season — and the league is taking full advantage of that status heading into 2026. The Bears will

The Chicago Bears already know they’re playing on Thanksgiving, but could the Monsters of the Midway be busy on Christmas too?

And understandably so, after a renaissance 2025 season marked by Caleb Williams' heroics and Ben Johnson's magnetic charisma. They are a hot ticket. Through the NFL's leaked-out schedule release, the Bears are a centerpiece, one of the league's hopeful tools to sell the professional game to the widest possible audience.

Head coach Ben Johnson returns to Detroit on Thanksgiving, seeking his first win against his former team to prove Chicago’s dominance and settle a lingering divisional score.

The 2026 NFL schedule is officially out and for the Chicago Bears, it’s full of prime time/standalone games. In total, the Bears are scheduled to have seven of those stand alone games including one on Thanksgiving and one on Christmas Day.