Bengals’ Joe Burrow Throws Funny Shade At Ex-Lions QB Matthew Stafford
For a moment, Joe Burrow was all of us. During a media session this week, the Cincinnati Bengals QB — who is expected to return from injury and play on Thanksgiving against the Baltimore Ravens — reminisced on Thanksgivings from his past. While doing so, Burrow couldn’t help but take a hilarious dig at MVP front-runner Matthew Stafford and Stafford’s former team, the Detroit Lions.
“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,” Burrow said.
It did always seem like Stafford’s Lions lost on Thanksgiving, didn’t it?
In actuality, Stafford and Calvin Johnson as a Thanksgiving duo went 3-4 on Turkey Day when playing together on the Lions — a record that will shock many. Less surprising is Stafford’s record as Thanksgiving Day’s career passing yards leader, having accumulated 3,000 yards in the air during Thanksgiving games.
Burrow knows its completely okay to laugh about Stafford’s shortcomings these days, given the type of year Matthew is having for the Los Angeles Rams.
Stafford has been most prolific passer in the NFL this season, shattering preseason expectations at age 37 with a glorious campaign thus far. positioning the Rams squarely in the playoff hunt and reigniting conversations about Stafford’s enduring elite status.
Stafford’s numbers tell a story of dominance rarely seen this deep into a career. He’s completed 248 of 373 passes for 2,830 yards, ranking fifth league-wide in yardage while leading all quarterbacks with 30 touchdown passes and just two interceptions.
His passer rating sits at an astronomical 113.7, fueled by explosive plays like his 88-yard bomb in Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks. Even in a grittier outing against the Arizona Cardinals two weeks prior, he engineered a comeback with 312 yards passing and three scores.
Rams wideout Davante Adams called Stafford “the most valuable player on the planet right now,” a sentiment echoed in the locker room as the Rams eye a deep postseason run. On pace for 4,374 yards, 46 touchdowns, and a mere three picks, Stafford’s trajectory evokes the all-time greats, cementing his case as a future Hall of Famer while reminding everyone that experience remains an NFL QB’s sharpest weapon.