Matthew Stafford reportedly has partially torn ligament in hand

Matthew Stafford avoided a broken bone in his hand after absorbing a hit on Sunday against the Washington Football Team, but, unfortunately, that doesn’t mean he avoided an injury to his throwing hand.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, further tests revealed that the Detroit Lions quarterback has a “partial tear in a ligament in the thumb of his throwing hand.” While it doesn’t seem quite as serious, on the surface it looks similar to the injury Stafford suffered in 2016, when he dislocated a joint and tore ligaments in the middle finger of his throwing hand.

However, Stafford was able to finish out Sunday’s game against Washington and did not appear to be limited at all after a quick tape job on the sideline. He also told FOX 2 Detroit’s Dan Miller this week that he feels good about his chances to play this week. Pelissero also added that the expectation is he plays this week.

The Lions return to practice on Wednesday in preparation for the Carolina Panthers. We’ll see then if Stafford will be sporting a splint, glove or if he’ll be unencumbered by the injury.