DETROIT _ Matthew Stafford didn't quite limp out of the Detroit Lions locker room, but he did have a noticeable hitch to his step after Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers at Ford Field.
Stafford declined to say what injuries he played through in the second half of Sunday's game, but it was clear by his straight-legged post-game walk and all the hobbling he did on the field that he dealt with quite a bit of pain while nearly leading the Lions to another come-from-behind victory.
"Coach will handle all that stuff, talk to you guys about all that kind of stuff, but we just got to get into a rhythm earlier on offense," Stafford said. "I wish I would have played better earlier in the game, but I appreciate the effort our guys had. Great battle. That's a really good football team we just faced but we got to find a way to play a little bit better on offense, especially early on."
Stafford completed 23 of 35 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns, but the Lions struggled offensively until late in the game.
Stafford was sacked six times for the second straight week, and he received medical attention on his right leg at least twice in the second half.
Early in the fourth quarter, Lions trainers appeared to be tending to an issue on Stafford's upper leg, and on their first touchdown drive of the fourth quarter, he came up hobbling noticeably after a sack by Kawann Short.
After throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass to Darren Fells on that series, Stafford limped immediately to sideline, where he sat on the bench as trainers wrapped his right ankle heavily with tape over his shoe.
Stafford returned for the Lions' final offensive series and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Fells.
"He's a fighter. He's tough. We'll see where he is," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said.
Asked if the pain he was dealing with was similar to what he played through against the Cleveland Browns as a rookie, when he stayed in to throw the game-winning touchdown pass to Brandon Pettigrew despite an injured left shoulder, Stafford said, "I don't know."
"I just was out there just trying to stay on the field and play as well as I could," he said.
The Lions also lost defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to an elbow injury in the first half Sunday.
Caldwell said he's "not certain yet" on the extent of Ngata's injury or if he'll have to miss any time.
The Lions (3-2) visit the New Orleans Saints (2-2) next Sunday.
