Matthew Stafford misses Wednesday’s practice, but Lions say he could still play

As expected, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford did not practice on Wednesday following his injury suffered on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. Stafford, reportedly, is suffering from rib cartilage damage and dealing with a tremendous amount of pain. However, Lions interim head coach Darrell Bevell did open up the possibility of Stafford still playing this week against the Tennessee Titans.

“Going to really take Matthew all the way to the end of the week,” Bevell said on Wednesday. “You guys know as well as I do the toughness of this guy and how he’s been able to come back from some pretty serious injuries and still play in games. So, we’re going to take it to the end of the week. We’re going to see how he does, and I’m totally comfortable with him not practicing and playing in the game. I’ve seen him do it.”

Stafford was not able to return to Sunday’s game after several attempts to throw the ball comfortably on the sideline. Bevell said that whether Stafford will be able to play on Sunday depends on his ability to manage the pain.

“He’s going to have to make sure that he can handle whatever the level of pain that he’s in,” Bevell said. “I mean, that’s going to be a big factor, and then, can he function with that pain level, are really going to be the two things.”

The Lions were missing a lot more than Stafford during Wednesday’s practice. Per the Lions, center Frank Ragnow, wide receiver Kenny Golladay, fullback Jason Cabinda, offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby, defensive tackle Da’Shawn hand, and cornerback Darryl Roberts also missed practice.