Joe Burrow takes cheeky jab at Matthew Stafford as Bengals QB makes feelings known on playing Thanksgiving NFL game

Joe Burrow clowned former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford ahead of his first Thanksgiving game. The Cincinnati Bengals star will make his long-awaited return against the Baltimore Ravens, the AFC North leaders.

During a Tuesday press conference, Burrow explained how much it meant for him to play on Thanksgiving. The quarterback recalled he used to watch the Lions games, adding that Stafford often went for 300-400 yards and still ended up losing the matchup.

“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, via Ari Meirov on X.

Matthew Stafford is one of the best performers in Thanksgiving Day games. The LA Rams star is the all-time leader in yards with 3,000 and touchdowns with 18 (tied with Tony Romo), while his former teammate Calvin Johnson is the all-time leader in touchdowns receiving on Thanksgiving.

He is no longer with the Lions, but his impact on the franchise, especially in one of the most important days of the season, remains unmatched.

Joe Burrow, on the other side, will return to action on Thanksgiving against the Baltimore Ravens. The quarterback ended all the speculation with a one-word response on whether he's planning on starting Thursday: correct.

Joe Burrow on how his recent practices prepared him for his return

After being ruled out for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots, Joe Burrow will take the field again against the Ravens. The player explained how his extra time in practice helped him be ready for Baltimore.

"That'll serve me well this week, full week where you know you're expecting to play, you're going through your preparation like you're gonna play, and then it doesn't happen," Burrow said. "It's good to have that under your belt to then go into this week where we're not going to get a ton of full speed reps. So Thursday night against a team that played a million times.

"I've been in that spot before, and trust the decision makers, and trust the medical people and everybody that was involved in the decision making. And I thought we made a good decision. And now this week, we'll be ready to go."

The Bengals will visit M&T Stadium in Week 12. Kick off is set at 8:20 p.m. ET.