Matthew Stafford has been told by medical experts that the back injury he has been dealing with will require more than a month to heal, but that does not mean the Detroit Lions quarterback plans to be out that long.
Doctors told Stafford recently that the fractured bones in his back are a six-week injury, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. However, Stafford has been playing through the injury since last season, so he could decide to do so again going forward.
Stafford missed last week’s game and is out for Sunday’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. A six-week recovery period would mean he will be out through Week 15, but the Lions are not yet certain of when he will return.
The Lions are 3-5-1 and fading from playoff contention, though they are not out of the hunt entirely. If they can somehow steal a win against the Cowboys on Sunday, Stafford may be motivated to return so he can help the team fight for a postseason spot. If not, it might make more sense to shut him down and let him fully heal.
Stafford is having a great season and had made 136 consecutive starts before sitting out last week, so that is an indication of how much pain he has been in. The 31-year-old has completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions this year, and he has already proven he is one of the toughest players in the NFL.
