The Lions will head to New Orleans this weekend for a clash with the Saints. As of Monday, it's not clear if they'll be joined by a healthy Matthew Stafford.
On Monday, Stafford told WJR Radio in Detroit that he doesn't know if he'll play on Sunday due to a leg/ankle injury he suffered during the Lions' Week 5 loss to the Panthers.
"I don't know," he said, according to ESPN's Michael Rothstein. "We'll see."
Still, despite Stafford's lack of confidence in his health, it's not time for Detroit to panic. The good news is that Stafford wasn't forced to leave this past Sunday's game despite playing with an obvious limp in the fourth quarter after taking a sack. So, it seems likely that he'd be able to gut out the injury again if necessary.
There just isn't a whole lot of information out there right now. On Monday, Lions coach Jim Caldwell told reporters to check the injury report.
"I think like most of the guys (he's) pretty sore after the game, but the rest you'll have to wait for the injury report," Caldwell said, per the Detroit Free Press.
When asked if it would make sense to rest Stafford this week with the Lions' bye week looming, he refused to answer the question.
"Totally hypothetical situation, which generally, as you all know, I'm not going to answer," Caldwell said.
After receiving a massive contract extension in August, Stafford's completed 64.2 percent of his passes, averaged 6.5 yards per attempt, thrown nine touchdowns and one interception, and posted a 97.4 passer rating so far this season. He's already been sacked 18 times.
He's also helped the Lions start 3-2. So they're very much alive in the NFC playoff picture -- just a game behind the Packers in the NFC North. The Lions will play the Packers in Week 9 before closing out the season against them.
If Stafford can't play on Sunday, the Lions would be forced to turn to backup Jake Rudock, a sixth-round pick a year ago. He's yet to throw a pass in an NFL game, so it definitely wouldn't be ideal for the Lions to start him against a 2-2 Saints team that knows how to put up points inside the Superdome.
