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Week 18 dates, times and networks are announced only after Week 17 concludes. Prime-time games in Weeks 5-17 can move under flexible scheduling.
Chicago Bears Schedule 2026: Full Slate, Dates, Times and TV
Games That Will Define the Bears’ Season
| Wk 12 at Lions | Thanksgiving at Ford Field, the fourth straight year Chicago has drawn Detroit on the holiday. The Bears have won four of their last five Thanksgiving games, three of them against the Lions. |
| Wk 16 vs Packers | Christmas Day at Soldier Field on Netflix, in the early window. Green Bay is coming off a short week too, having played the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. |
| Wk 3 vs Eagles | Monday night at Soldier Field, the first of four national windows in the first nine weeks and the toughest test of the opening month. |
| Wk 16-18 | Green Bay on Christmas, Detroit at home, then Minnesota on the road. All three division rivals in the last three weeks, with seeding likely on the line. |
A Rare Week 10 Bye
Chicago’s first Week 10 bye since 2021 and only its second since the bye format was introduced in 1990. Nine games come before it, eight after.
Thanksgiving Regulars
The Bears own 20 all-time Thanksgiving wins, third-most in the league and the most by any club that does not play on the holiday every year.
Five Standalone Games
Two Monday nights, a Thursday night home game, a Sunday night against Tampa Bay, a Saturday in Buffalo, plus Thanksgiving and Christmas.
How the Schedule Sets Up
The first four weeks are gentle apart from the Eagles on Monday night: Carolina on the road, then Minnesota, Philadelphia and the Jets at home. Then it tightens. Green Bay, Atlanta, a Thursday night against New England, a Monday night in Seattle and Tampa Bay on Sunday night is four national windows in five weeks.
December is a grind on the road: Miami, then a Saturday night in Buffalo, before the Christmas game turns the schedule back into a division race. For the other side of the Week 5 and Week 16 games, see our Green Bay Packers schedule page. Full league schedules and flexible-scheduling rules are published by the NFL.
The Bottom Line
Nine home games, a Week 10 bye, Thanksgiving in Detroit and Christmas against Green Bay, then all three NFC North rivals in the final three weeks. Chicago won the division last season and gets a schedule that decides whether it repeats in the last month. Bookmark this page; results and Week 18 details are updated throughout the season.