Lions Rule Out Matthew Stafford For Week 12

On Friday, Lions HC Matt Patricia officially ruled out QB Matthew Stafford for Week 12’s game due to the back injury he’s dealing with. 

This isn’t a big surprise, considering that Stafford hasn’t practiced in a couple weeks.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported earlier in the week that doctors recently told Stafford that the fractured bones in his back are a six-week injury. Schefter says this doesn’t mean Stafford will end up missing the full six weeks, but it’s at least an idea of how severe his back injury is. 

A source told Schefter that Stafford “could miss one week, he could miss three weeks.”

Stafford is specifically dealing with tiny, non-displaced fractures in the upper thoracic spine, according to Ian Rapoport. 

The Lions will once again turn to Jeff Driskel as their starter with rookie David Blough serving as his backup. 

Stafford, 31, is a former first-round pick of the Lions back in 2009. He was in the final year of his five-year, $76.5 million contract when he and the Lions agreed to a five-year, $135 million extension back in 2017.

Stafford stands to make base salaries of $13.5 million and $15 million over the next two years of the agreement.

In 2019, Stafford has appeared in eight games and completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also rushed for 66 yards.