NFL Schedule Rollout Ramps Up With Full Thanksgiving Slate, Leak Frenzy

In the final approach to the full release of the 2026 NFL schedule, a key part of the Thanksgiving schedule is now confirmed, while a flurry of early leaks of game matchups is intensifying.

The league and CBS said early Thursday that the early afternoon Thanksgiving Day game will feature a classic NFC North division matchup between the Bears and Lions. That game, set for 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 26, will precede the already-announced late afternoon game between the Eagles and Cowboys. 

While that latter game will chase a record as the most-watched regular-season contest in NFL history, the Bears-Lions broadcast has a very strong chance to be the second-most-viewed game of the entire 2026 season. That early afternoon Thanksgiving Day game in 2025, played between the Packers and Lions on Fox, held that designation last year, averaging 47.7 million viewers and also set a league record for that window. 

That historic total, boosted in part by Fox’s distribution of the game on Tubi, played a material role in expanding the league’s ambitions across Thanksgiving weekend—something now manifesting with anew Thanksgiving Eve game on Netflix between the Packers and Rams.

The Bears-Lions game, as a result, holds a critical position in the overall NFL schedule.

The CBS game reveal on Wednesday morning followed similar announcements earlier this week by NBC, Fox, Amazon, and ESPN, as well as an unprecedented nine-game international slate. The NFL will release the entire 2026 schedule at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. 

Widespread Leaks

While those official game announcements have all been part of the NFL’s ongoing efforts to turn the schedule release into another tentpole event, leaks of other matchups across the 272-game slate were easily accessible Wednesday and early Thursday. 

Topping the list of those leaks is the reveal of the league’s kickoff game on NBC featuring a Super Bowl LX rematch between the Patriots and Seahawks. While New England was one of the potential choices for the primetime showcase following the Seahawks’ dominant victory in February, that decision is still something of a surprise on multiple fronts. Among the factors surrounding that choice:

• The NFL has not staged an immediate Super Bowl rematch to start the next season since 2016 with the Broncos and Panthers.
• A Super Bowl rematch frequently generates strong ratings at any time of the season, and a Week 2 broadcast last year between the Chiefs and Eagles averaged 33.8 million viewers, representing the most-watched game of the 2025 regular season behind only two Thanksgiving games.
• The high-profile slot will almost certainly raise the scrutiny further around Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel following revelations of his personal relationship with reporter Dianna Russini. 

That kickoff game shifted to Wed., Sept. 9 due to the international game in Australia the following day.

Separate reports, meanwhile, pointed to the Thanksgiving Day schedule finishing with a primetime clash between top AFC rivals Kansas City and Buffalo.