Joe Burrow remembers Thanksgiving Day football like most of us: The Detroit Lions vs. (insert team) leading to a Lions loss, albeit in an exciting and points-filled game. For years the Lions have struggled on the one day they’ve turned into an annual tradition; up until last year, the Lions lost seven-straight Thanksgiving Day games.
Dan Campbell and his metaphorical chomping of knee caps has turned things around in Detroit, and last year might just be the end of dreadful midday football in the Motor City. The Lions ended one of their many Thanksgiving Day losing streaks with a 23-20 win over Chicago, and it could signal the end of a tradition that’s been built on Detroit’s Turkey Day failures.
Joe Burrow’s recollection of Thanksgiving Day football cuts deep to Lions fans
For decades, the Lions have failed to show up on Thanksgiving Day. They’ve suffered blowout losses, close losses and even ties. But since the first Thanksgiving Day game played in Detroit in 1934, the Lions have had far more losses than wins. They’ve had bad matchups, games they should have won, games they shouldn’t have won. Everything you could possibly think of when it comes to Thanksgiving football in Detroit, the Lions have faced it.
#Bengals QB Joe Burrow on playing on Thanksgiving:
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 25, 2025
“You grow up going through Thanksgiving — you have your meals, and you sit on the couch ... watch the Lions vs. somebody, watch Matthew Stafford throw 300–400 yards with Calvin Johnson, and probably lose the game.”😂 pic.twitter.com/fTsagL7ymN
"You go watch Matthew Stafford throw for 300, 400 yards with Calvin Johnson and probably lose the game. But it was fun to watch. Those are memories that you have," Burrow said ahead of Cincinnati's Thanksgiving game against the Baltimore Ravens.
So for Burrow to rub salt on the Thanksgiving Day wound isn’t bad-mouthing the Lions, it’s highlighting how bad things have been. And if all good things must come to an end, that means all bad things too right? The Lions have had new life infused into this organization since Campbell took over. Hopefully that spills over into the Thanksgiving Day game as well. With one streak ending, it’s time for the Lions to start a new (winning) one.
Why Dan Campbell’s Lions are destined to re-write Detroit’s Thanksgiving history
Detroit went from arguably ruining Matthew Stafford’s career, shipping him out of town with no playoff wins and just one playoff appearance, to a team that’s expected to contend in the NFC North every year and be a playoff team at minimum. Hopefully that means the Lions get to re-write their Thanksgiving history, too.
The one game the Lions should win every year is the Thanksgiving game; they play it every year at home. They won last season, and it feels like they’ve finally turned the corner to consistently putting on a show on Turkey Day. For years, we could count on the Lions being irrelevant in the NFC playoff race, but that’s no longer the case.
They’ve been just as irrelevant on Thanksgiving Day, other than always being featured in the first game of the day. Now they have every reason to be relevant beyond mere deference to tradition. They can prove they are good enough to win again on the big stage. This is new territory for Detroit, but everything is trending in the right direction for them.
Why can’t they have fun on Thanksgiving Day too? If anybody deserves to win on Thanksgiving Day it’s the Lions and after last year’s win, it could become a new tradition for them.