We will know more about just how much time Matthew Stafford will miss later today, but right now speculation suggests that he could be out for as long as the next six weeks. An exact determination will not be made until Stafford has an MRI and X-rays this morning, but the Lions' own speculation is where the six weeks estimate is coming from.

The Detroit Lions are bracing to be without Matt Stafford for four to six weeks after the quarterback suffered a shoulder injury in a season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears, according to a league source.

I've seen some reports that suggest Stafford could miss only the next two weeks, but again, this is all based on speculation. Until the tests are done on Stafford's injured shoulder this morning, we won't know how long the Lions will be without him.

Looking at the upcoming schedule, Stafford would be out until Halloween if he misses six weeks. The sixth and final week of his recovery would come when the Lions are on a bye, setting him up to return seven weeks after experiencing the injury.

If the damage to Stafford's shoulder turns out to be much more minimal than originally thought, Stafford could return in time for the Vikings game on Sept. 26. Believing that would be taking the extremely optimistic approach that Stafford will be out only two weeks, though, and right now I just have a hard time trying to be positive about this situation.