Chicago Bears Schedule 2026: Full Slate, Dates, Times and TV

by

The Bears defend an NFC North title in 2026 with nine home games and two holiday dates. Chicago plays at Detroit on Thanksgiving for the fourth straight year, then hosts Green Bay at Soldier Field on Christmas Day on Netflix.

Ben Johnson’s second season starts on the road in Carolina. The bye falls in Week 10, which is unusual territory for this franchise.

2026 Team Schedule
Chicago Bears Schedule
NFC North · Soldier Field · Ben Johnson (2nd year)
9
Home Games
10
Bye Week
Sept 13
Opener at Panthers
Dec 25
Circle It: Christmas vs Packers
Week Date Opponent Time (ET) / TV Result
1 Sun, Sept 13 at Carolina Panthers 1:00 PM · FOX —
2 Sun, Sept 20 vs Minnesota Vikings 1:00 PM · FOX —
3 Mon, Sept 28 vs Philadelphia Eagles 8:15 PM · ESPN —
4 Sun, Oct 4 vs New York Jets 1:00 PM · FOX —
5 Sun, Oct 11 at Green Bay Packers 4:25 PM · FOX —
6 Sun, Oct 18 at Atlanta Falcons 1:00 PM · FOX —
7 Thu, Oct 22 vs New England Patriots 8:15 PM · Prime —
8 Mon, Nov 2 at Seattle Seahawks 8:15 PM · ESPN —
9 Sun, Nov 8 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8:20 PM · NBC —
10 — BYE WEEK — —
11 Sun, Nov 22 vs New Orleans Saints 1:00 PM · FOX —
12 Thu, Nov 26 at Detroit Lions (Thanksgiving) 1:00 PM · CBS —
13 Sun, Dec 6 vs Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00 PM · FOX —
14 Sun, Dec 13 at Miami Dolphins 1:00 PM · CBS —
15 Sat, Dec 19 at Buffalo Bills 8:20 PM · CBS —
16 Fri, Dec 25 vs Green Bay Packers (Christmas) 1:00 PM · Netflix —
17 Sun, Jan 3 vs Detroit Lions 4:25 PM · FOX —
18 TBD at Minnesota Vikings TBD —
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.

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.