How does football and a halftime show concert sound for Valentine’s Day? That’s the question many will be asking in approximately nine months, as Super Bowl LXI puts a bow on the 2026 season on Feb. 14, 2027.
It’s a fitting end to a season that will be littered with games on holidays throughout the fall and winter. Traditionally, the NFL has been associated with Thanksgiving, with the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions shining under the Turkey Day spotlight.
Thanksgiving matchups
Earlier this week, the NFL announced the Cowboys will host the rival Philadelphia Eagles in their Thanksgiving showcase. On Thursday, the league revealed the Chicago Bears will head to Detroit for another Thanksgiving matchup with the Lions. It’ll be the 21st all-time meeting on Thanksgiving between the NFC North rivals, with the last one coming in 2024, and the sixth holiday matchup in the last 12 years.
The Bears’ trip to Detroit for Thanksgiving is hardly unique. It will be their sixth Turkey Day visit to Ford Field in 13 seasons. But it will also be their first such holiday game in Motown since 2024, when a final-minute meltdown made jaws drop all over the country. Down 23-20 and trying to pull off an impressive game-tying or game-winning drive, the Bears instead only ran one play over the final 30 seconds as quarterback Caleb Williams and coach Matt Eberflus froze under pressure. Eberflus’ inability to rescue his young QB by using the team’s final timeout after a sack was an unforgivable mistake, punctuating the team’s sixth consecutive loss and leading to Eberflus’ firing the following morning. The Bears figure to be in a much healthier state for this year’s Thanksgiving trip, which could be a key game in the NFC North title race. — Dan Wiederer, Bears beat writer
The Bears and Lions will meet on Thanksgiving for the second time in three years — this time, under a different set of circumstances. When these teams met two years ago, the Lions were on their way to their second consecutive NFC North title, while the Bears were en route to a fourth-place finish for the third season in a row. Times have changed. The Bears are the reigning division champs. The Lions, even with a winning record, finished last in 2025. Old friend Ben Johnson will return to Detroit on Thanksgiving, hoping to secure his first win over the Lions in a game that could help decide the division. Should be a fun one. — Colton Pouncy, Lions beat writer
However, in recent years, the league has expanded its holiday presence even further.
Since the 2021 season, the NFL has featured multiple games on Christmas Day. Black Friday has also become an NFL moment, while the expansion of the season to 17 games has ensured that the league will be able to incorporate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Earlier this year at the league meetings, the NFL expressed its intentions to explore spreading its presence to Thanksgiving Eve and, on Wednesday, announced the Los Angeles Rams will host the Green Bay Packers on Netflix that night.
One holiday the NFL won’t play on in 2026 is Halloween, because that falls on a Saturday this year. Due to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, the NFL is prohibited from playing games on Saturday (and Friday) nights during the high school and college football seasons. Specifically, this time frame spans from the second Friday in September until the second Saturday in December.
Here’s a look at all of the holiday games this season for the NFL, with the matchups included for the games that have been announced. All times are Eastern.
Monday, Oct. 12, Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Wednesday, Nov. 25, Thanksgiving Eve: Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams, 8 p.m., Netflix
Thursday, Nov. 26, Thanksgiving Day: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions, noon, CBS; Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, 4:30 p.m., Fox
Thursday, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve
Friday, Dec. 25, Christmas Day
Thursday, Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve
Friday, Jan. 1, New Year’s Day
Sunday, Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day: Super Bowl LXI, teams TBD, 6:30 p.m., ESPN