The Green Bay Packers won’t have to deal with veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford in the season finale.
The Detroit Lions, who host the Packers in Week 17, placed Stafford on season-ending injured reserve on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Stafford hasn’t played since Nov. 3 because of a back injury. He threw 19 touchdown passes, averaged 8.6 yards per attempt and had a passer rating of 106.0 in the eight games before suffering the injury.
David Blough, a rookie from Purdue, will be the expected starter in Week 17. He has started the last three games, throwing three touchdown passes and five interceptions – with a passer rating of 67.0 – in the three Lions losses.
The Packers, now 11-3, need to win just one more game – either against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 or against the Lions in Week 17 – to win the NFC North. They can clinch a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs with two more wins.
The Lions also placed former Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels on injured reserve. Daniels, who signed a one-year deal in Detroit after Green Bay cut him in August, will miss both games against the Packers in 2019.
