ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s “fractured bones are a six-week injury.”
It was already noted that Stafford would not suit up for the Lions game against the Dallas Cowboys and while the classification sounds severe, it does not mean that Stafford will sit out the full six weeks. It could be just a matter of pain management.
“But Detroit also knows that this type of injury would sideline most players six weeks,” Schefter said, “if not longer. It is another testament to Stafford’s toughness; he had started 136 straight games before last week’s absence, the sixth-longest streak for a quarterback in NFL history.”
It’s possible, the Lions franchise quarterback could be back as early as Thanksgiving Day’s showdown against their NFC North division rival, Chicago Bears, depending on his progress.
Jeff Driskel will get his second start under center, and it does pose an interesting narrative as the Lions were in attendance for the Colin Kaepernick workout. Should the organization choose to shut Stafford down for the rest of the season and not jeopardize further injury, perhaps that is why the team sent representatives?
Update: the NFL Network offered this update from a doctor, noting the injury is in the thoracic region of the back. That’s the first we’ve heard any confirmation of the location of the injury within the back:
