What is the Bears' Record on Thanksgiving?

Here's how Chicago has fared on Turkey day.

Josh Wilson | 2 Hours Ago

Bears fans have enjoyed a winning record all-time for Thanksgiving games / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears will play their division rivals, the Detroit Lions, on the road this Thanksgiving in the first of three NFL games scheduled for Turkey Day 2024.

While Thanksgiving games count the same as all the rest, winning or losing these games certainly feels different. Football is synonymous with Thanksgiving, and putting on a winning display on the big day for fans comes with that extra-special feel.

So, how have the Bears delivered historically on Thanksgiving?

Chicago Bears Thanksgiving Day Record

Coming into the game against the Lions this year, Chicago is 20-15-2 all-time on Thanksgiving.

In recent history, Chicago has won four straight (three against the Lions and one against the Packers). Zooming out further, they're an even 5-5 in the last 10. Most often, when Chicago plays on Thanksgiving it's against the Lions, who play every Thanksgiving.

Chicago is up against a 10-1 Super Bowl favorite team this year, so a win would be a major upset. Chicago fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron a few weeks ago and its offense has come alive, going from 17.5 points per game under Waldron to 23.0 per game in the two games since.

Meanwhile, the Lions have an all-time losing record on Thanksgiving.

Bears' Year-by-Year Thanksgiving Game Results

Year	Opponent	Result
1922	Cardinals	L, 6-0
1923	Cardinals	W, 3-0
1924	Cardinals	W, 21-0
1925	Cardinals	T, 0-0
1926	Cardinals	T, 0-0
1927	Cardinals	L, 3-0
1928	Cardinals	W, 34-0
1929	Cardinals	L, 40-6
1930	Cardinals	W, 6-0
1931	Cardinals	W, 18-7
1932	Cardinals	W, 24-0
1933	Cardinals	W, 22-6
1934	Lions	W, 19-16
1935	Lions	L, 14-2
1936	Lions	L, 13-7
1937	Lions	W, 13-0
1938	Lions	L, 14-7
1947	Lions	W, 34,-14
1949	Lions	W, 28-7
1952	Texans	L, 27-23
1964	Lions	W, 27-24
1977	Lions	W, 31-14
1979	Lions	W, 20-0
1980	Lions	W, 23-17
1981	Cowboys	L, 10-9
1991	Lions	L, 16-6
1993	Lions	W, 10-6
1997	Lions	L, 55-20
1999	Lions	L, 21-17
2004	Cowboys	L, 21-7
2014	Lions	W, 34-17
2015	Packers	W, 17-13
2018	Lions	W, 23-16
2019	Lions	W, 24-20
2021	Lions	W, 16-14
2024	Lions	TBD

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Published 2 Hours Ago|Modified 1:24 PM EST

JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.