Getty Gretchen Whitmer during a press conference.
The Detroit Lions are having enough trouble during the 2020 season without the peanut gallery chiming in to mock them, but that is what keeps happening given their inconsistent play so far this year and all the frustration it has brought.
This time, it’s Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer bringing the pain for the team with a funny jab. During a COVID-19 briefing, Whitmer was talking about the dangers of the Thanksgiving holiday and gathering with a big group of folks. One of the bigger hazards of the day, she said, was yelling at the Lions.
Here’s a look:
All kidding aside, Whitmer is right. It can be hazardous to watch the Lions with friends without proper social distancing because everyone is going to be screaming and yelling, especially as the team continues to frustrate as per their usual standards and especially by their 2020 standards.
Whitmer has urged folks to proceed with caution this Thanksgiving and limit their interactions with family and friends. The fact that Ford Field will not be hosting fans for Detroit’s special day is already a big blow to the city and its fans in what has been a frustrating 2020 in plenty of ways.
Still, Whitmer is right. Watching the Lions can be a grave health hazard for fans, and that’s true even during times when there is no global pandemic raging.
Lions Thanksgiving History
Fans have a long tradition of screaming and yelling at the team on Thanksgiving. Detroit’s been playing on the holiday since 1937 and has a 37-40-2 record all time on the holiday. Their most common opponents have been from the NFC North, but occasionally the team will cross over and play an AFC squad as they are doing this season. In that scenario, the Lions have played teams like the Chiefs, Patriots, Colts, Dolphins and others in the past.
Lions Thanksgiving Game 2020
This season, the Lions will tangle with the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving for their traditional game in what could be a key matchup for the team’s playoff lives. Detroit last played Houston on Thanksgiving of 2012 in what became a controversial loss. The Lions have lost their last 3 Thanksgiving games, and their last victory came in 2016 at the last second against the Minnesota Vikings on a field goal. Since, the Lions have lost to the Vikings and then the Bears twice the last few seasons in very frustrating fashion.
Safe to say the Lions badly need a win this season to help not only turn things around on the field but in the minds of their fans. Detroit is entering a must win stretch of 3 games that will culminate with the Texans on Thanksgiving, and realistically it’s a team Detroit should beat given how poorly they have played at times this season.
It would certainly be fitting if the Lions gave folks a positive reason to yell in a season when nobody could be in the stands. As 2020 goes, it would certainly be par for the course.