According to NFL Media, the Bears-Lions game averaged 37.5 million viewers on CBS, which makes it the most-watched early Thanksgiving Day game on record. As a whole, it was a record-setting Thanksgiving Day for the NFL,

The Detroit Lions were able to set a new NFL record for viewership on Thanksgiving in their normal time slot.

The early Thanksgiving window featuring the Lions always performed well not because of the Lions but because it was football, it was on TV, and there was nothing else on. Now that the Lions have transmogrified into a powerhouse,

After setting the all-time viewership record for the early Thanksgiving game last year, the Lions crushed that mark in their win over the Bears last week.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16), defensive tackle DJ Reader (98), wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14), running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) and linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad (69) celebrate their win against the Bears with a turkey drumstick Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's been a wild swing of emotions in Detroit. Cole Kmet's offensive pass interference wiped away a first-down pass on fourth down, but then the Lions were flagged for defensive pass interference when Caleb Williams' prayer fell to the turf. The Bears have it in field goal range.

Free Press sports writers break down and pick the Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears game Thursday at Ford Field in the annual Thanksgiving Day opener.

The Bears will face off against the Lions on Thanksgiving. Here's what we'll be watching for during the matchup.

Few combinations go together better than Thanksgiving and football and this year's ratings bear that out. Per Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal, the NFL had its most-watched Thanksgiving ever this year,