The Lions are synonymous with Thanksgiving. Detroit has hosted one of the NFL's Thanksgiving Day games annually since 1934 through all the franchise’s embattled years. The Lions have turned a corner over recent seasons, but NFL stars, particularly Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, remember Detroit’s compounding losses from their younger years.

Joe Burrow says he s a football player and wants to play in 2025 despite the team having a slim chance of making the playoffs.

“I’m not gonna ever go to somebody and say ‘I’m healthy, but I don’t think I should go out there and play,’” Burrow said. “That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I’m not gonna live my life and play this game, scared of something happening. Yeah, something’s gonna happen. It’s football.”

The Cincinnati Bengals have not had the season they envisioned. They are now 3-8 and have played almost every game without star quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow got hurt back in Week 2 during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is raring to go and play in his first game since Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season.