Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is as tough as they come, so when he’s in danger of not playing due to injury like he is in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans, you know it has to be painful.
Stafford, who did not practice on Wednesday, was listed with a rib and right thumb injury on the injury report, but the rib is the one that is troubling him the most and could force him to sit out on Sunday.
While things might look bleak right now, nobody should count the Lions signal-caller out — and he isn’t counting himself out, either, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com:
“I think I just need to be able to function,” Stafford said. “I need to be able to play and play at a high level. It’s going to take some time. Going to have to rest, but I’m not counting myself out.”
More likely than not, this is a decision that the Lions are going to take down to the wire. Lions interim head coach Darrell Bevell says it’s not just about how much pain Stafford is feeling, but if he can function through it.
“He’s going to have to make sure he can handle whatever the level of pain he’s in, that’s going to be a big factor in it,” Bevell said. “And can he function with that pain level? Those are really going to be the two things.”
Obviously, not having Stafford would be a huge blow to Detroit’s offense that could also be missing star receiver Kenny Golladay once again. On the flip side, no Stafford is a big plus for a Tennessee defense that has struggled to defend the pass this season.
Should Stafford sit, backup quarterback Chase Daniel would take his place. And, while Daniel a serviceable backup, he’s no Stafford.
We’ll have to continue to monitor Stafford’s status in practice the next few days, and quite possibly right up until kickoff at noon CT on Sunday.
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