Report: Lions QB Matthew Stafford Could Miss 6 Weeks With Back Injury

The Detroit Lions missed starting quarterback Matthew Stafford during week 10's loss to the [...]

By John Newby

The Detroit Lions missed starting quarterback Matthew Stafford during week 10's loss to the Chicago Bears after he was declared out with a back injury. There were hopes that he could return in the coming days, but NFL insider Ian Rapoport has put that in doubt. As he explained on Sunday morning, Stafford could be sidelined for up to six weeks.

The cause of the potential absence is tiny, non-displaced fractures in the upper thoracic spine. This forced him to miss Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys and will likely sideline him for the most of the season's remainder. The Lions only have six games remaining on the schedule following Sunday's battle with Dallas.

That being said, Rapoport did continue by explaining that Stafford has the goal of beating this timeline in order to return to his teammates. He will not be simply shutting it down for the year.

According to the report, there is a slim chance that Stafford could be back in action as early as week 12, but this is unlikely. The more possible outcome is that he is back in the lineup closer to week 17.

For now, Stafford will continue to undergo scans each week to track the progress of his recovery. The first scan will come later this week as the Lions prepare for a game against the Washington Redskins, and they will continue until he is back taking starting snaps.

There was some initial optimism that Stafford could be active for week 10's battle against Chicago. He had practiced during the week, and the coaching staff was providing him with every opportunity to show that he would be ready to go. However, the veteran out of Georgia simply wasn't where he was supposed to be prior to the game and was ultimately ruled out.

While the Lions are currently 3-5-1 entering Sunday's game against the Cowboys, this has been one of Stafford's best seasons. He has thrown for 2,499 yards and 19 touchdowns with only five interceptions over the eight games that he has been active. He has also achieved a career-high 106.0 quarterback rating.

(Photo Credit: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty)

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