It was declared on Friday morning that Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will not play this weekend against the Washington Redskins, as he continues to deal with an injury to his back.
The tiny fractures in his back held him out of last week’s game as well, ending his streak of 136-straight starts for the 31-year-old.
The injury is obviously a bummer for the Lions, as they are already dealing with starting RB Kerryon Johnson being sent to the IR earlier this year, but the question begs to be asked…will it matter on Sunday?
The truth is, the Lions will likely be able to find a path to victory against the Redskins, even without Stafford at the helm. Last week, with Jeff Driskel under center, Detroit lost to the Dallas Cowboys in a shootout, but they managed to put up 27 points on an elite defense. If the Lions can put up even close to that point total against the Redskins lack-luster secondary, then they should be able to cruise to a victory, especially when you consider that All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay is expected to lock-down WR Terry McLaurin, taking away Washington’s No. 1 weapon.
It’s possible that Redskins fans got their hopes up when they saw on Friday that they wouldn’t have to face Stafford, but it likely won’t matter in the end.
