Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a hand injury during his team's 30-27 win over the Washington Football Team in Week 10, but it's reportedly not something that is going to force him to miss any time. On Tuesday night, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that tests revealed Stafford has a partial tear in a ligament in the thumb on his throwing hard. He will take this week to see how effectively he can throw the football, but the expectation is that he starts on Sunday when the Lions are slated to take on the Carolina Panthers.
Stafford did not miss a play last week due to the thumb injury and threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. The win boosted Detroit to 4-5, and the Lions are now tied with the Minnesota Vikings for third place in the NFC North. In nine games so far this season, Stafford has completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,403 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
While Stafford is having a nice campaign, he has had to deal with some troubles off the field. Earlier this month, he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after being tabbed as a "high-risk close contact" from a non-team member. He wasn't allowed to practice all week due to his designation, but did travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in Week 9. Stafford didn't look like his typical self without any practice, as he passed for just 211 yards, one touchdown and a season-high two interceptions in the 34-20 loss.
The 3-7 Panthers provide a good opportunity for the Lions to kick off a bit of a win streak, but it's worth keeping a close eye on how Stafford handles his thumb injury in practice this week.