Is Joe Burrow in a hostage situation with the Cincinnati Bengals? All the franchise seems to do is put him in positions to be in severe physical and emotional pain.
Whether it's the laundry list of injuries, years of bad offensive line play, or a refusal to support his elite quarterbacking with mere league-average defenses, Burrow will likely miss the postseason for a third year in a row. That's organizational malpractice of the highest order.
So I can't blame Burrow if he'd ever want out of Cincinnati. He had zero say in being drafted No. 1 overall in 2020.
OK now that I've made it through that pseudo-satirical sort of intro, what Burrow said about his memories of playing on Thanksgiving ahead of Week 13's duel with the Ravens was hysterical.
Joe Burrow recalls Thanksgiving football & Lions losing despite brilliance on offense
Speaking about how he's always wanted to play on Thanksgiving in the NFL, Joe Burrow elaborated on what he recalled from watching the games as a kid growing up in Ohio, via NFL Media's Andrew Siciliano. It just so happened that Burrow's hand-picked, singular memory hit a little too close to home in terms of the Bengals' current outlook.
"You go and sit on the couch, and typically there's not a lot on except football. Back in the day, it was Lions and somebody. You go watch Matthew Stafford throw for 300, 400-some yards with Calvin Johnson — and probably lose the game. But it was fun to watch. Those are memories that you have, and so I kind of always wanted to be the person out there."
Joe Burrow has fond childhood memories of watching Matthew Stafford put up huge numbers on Thanksgiving… and lose 😂. pic.twitter.com/7gc6z0xm33
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) November 25, 2025
Sound familiar!? Yeah!! Matthew Stafford languished in Detroit for a dozen seasons before getting traded to the Rams. And beating the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. No need to dwell on that!
Yes, Stafford had some great moments over the years with the Lions and all-time great wide receiver Calvin Johnson. It just didn't amount to much. They never won a playoff game and only made three trips to the postseason.
Uhh...guess what? We'll be entering the seventh and sixth respective seasons for Burrow and his go-to guy, Ja'Marr Chase, once 2026 rolls around. They've only made two playoff appearances thus far. To say next season is critical isn't putting it urgently enough whatsoever. We can only wonder if that'll trigger a change at head coach from Zac Taylor or higher up in the front office (Duke Tobin!?).
I would love it if Tuesday's quote was Joe Brrr taking a not-so-subtle shot at the Bengals brass for not providing him with better defenses. That wasn't the intention here. That much is clear. An innocent case of a potential Freudian slip. Us fans feel you too, Joe.
Burrow got into so many shootouts during his MVP-caliber 2024 season, and couldn't emerge with a victory the vast majority of the time.
Take Baltimore for instance. In two games against the Ravens last season, Burrow and the offense put up a total of 72 points. They lost both times.
Cut forward to this season, when Joe Flacco balled out against the Jets and Bears in Burrow's stead. Cincinnati managed to lose those games 39-38 and 47-42. Truly remarkable stuff there. The type of stuff that gives Joe "blink twice if you want out" vibes at the press conference podium.