Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will try to play the Tennessee Titans with torn rib cartilage on Sunday, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Lions called Stafford questionable with a rib and right thumb injury, but Stafford plans to deal with all the pain he’s in.
Stafford sustained a rib cartilage injury in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers when he was hit by Kenny Clark and had to leave the game. He didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday and was not spotted during Friday’s practice portion that was open to the media. He was listed as doing limited work.
Interim coach Darrell Bevell said Friday that Stafford is feeling and moving better and it is difficult to gauge what that means due to his toughness.
Stafford said on Wednesday that for him the biggest factor in deciding whether to play is whether he can throw and whether he thinks his body can handle an entire game.
“I don’t want it to be one of those things where you go out and do something weird early and you’re out after the first series of the game or something,” Stafford said. Not to say take a big hit and who knows what could happen. But [I] wanting to feel good enough to start and hopefully finish the game. Play at a high level. “
Stafford said his regimen for getting better consisted of heat, ice, rest, and exercise. He wasn’t sure as of Wednesday if he’d need extra padding or an extra wrap around his ribs when he played – though he joked that he’d ‘stick a pillow to my ribs or something’.
This report uses information from ESPN’s Michael Rothstein.