With a high-stakes Thanksgiving night matchup looming against the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals are preparing for what could define the rest of their season. The good news for Cincinnati is that Joe Burrow is on track to return for the Week 13 showdown. Naturally, in the lead-up to the holiday game, Burrow fielded questions about his childhood memories of Thanksgiving football.

According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team on X, Burrow couldn’t resist taking a playful jab at the Detroit Lions while reminiscing about the classic Thanksgiving matchups he grew up watching—particularly those featuring Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.

Burrow’s lighthearted dig at Detroit

Burrow recalled the familiar holiday routine: enjoying a big meal, collapsing on the couch, and watching the Lions take on whichever opponent they drew that year. He joked that the script rarely changed—Stafford would rack up 300 or 400 yards throwing to Johnson, yet Detroit would still end up losing.

While Burrow’s comment was made jokingly, it aligns closely with the Lions’ historical struggles. Stafford, who spent his entire career in Detroit from 2009 through 2020 before heading to the Los Angeles Rams, played in nearly every Thanksgiving game during that span.

From 2009 to 2020, Detroit managed only four wins on the holiday—victories coming in 2013 through 2016. Stafford sat out the 2010 game, giving him a personal Thanksgiving record of 3–7 during his Lions tenure, while the team overall went 3–8 in the games played since his draft year.

Zooming out even further, Detroit’s franchise history on Thanksgiving has been rocky: 38–45–2 all time, with just seven wins in 25 holiday appearances since 2000.

Detroit once again takes the stage on Thanksgiving this year, this time in a meaningful divisional showdown against the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, Burrow and the Bengals face their own massive divisional test against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

Burrow’s nostalgia might be entertaining, but it could also be prophetic. Given Cincinnati’s defensive uncertainties, even a huge statistical day from Burrow and star receiver Ja’Marr Chase might not guarantee a win. Much like Stafford and Johnson’s standout Thanksgiving performances that still ended in defeat, the Bengals could find themselves in a similar situation during this year’s holiday clash.