Getty Matthew Stafford celebrates a touchdown with T.J. Hockenson.
Matthew Stafford didn’t start at quarterback for the Detroit Lions for the first time since 2011, and as expected, his feelings on that matter were very strong.
Forced to watch from the sidelines with a back injury, Stafford was powerless to impact the game as his Lions lost to the Bears 20-13. As fans might imagine, the worst part was him not being able to come together with his teammates for a winning effort.
“Obviously I want to be out there with the guys. It was the right decision, a collective decision,” Stafford told the media. “It’s tough. I love playing this game. Worked really hard to be out there for my teammates and wasn’t able to do it. So tough pill to swallow. I thought Jeff (Driskel) did a great job, played great and I think the guys rallied around him which was good.”
In spite of the loss, Stafford said he thought the team played well and he was proud of their effort on the field even though that couldn’t win the game.
“Obviously we’d love to come away with the win there, but I was proud of the way the guys fought.”
Will Matthew Stafford Sit?
The Lions are in an interesting predicament. Stafford has a painful back injury he’s fighting that might not be as debilitating long term as it initially sounded. As a result, Stafford could return in a few weeks to give the team some much needed juice. Do the Lions still have a shot at the playoffs? With two teams ahead of them in the NFC North and other contenders with better records, the hopes would seemingly on the surface be slim at this point, meaning many will contend the team should decide to tank for the chances of a better draft selection.
Stafford, though, has no plans to sit down the rest of the way for the team in order to help their draft prospects. As expected, he said his sole focus is to try and work back to health so that he might help the team as soon as possible.
“That’s not my thinking at the moment. My thinking is to try and be out there as soon as I possibly can to help us win,” he said.
That sentiment isn’t surprising in the least coming from Stafford.
Lions Draft Pick Planning
As it stands today, Detroit has seven picks in the 2020 draft. They added an extra fifth round selection after dealing Quandre Diggs this past trade deadline. Detroit traded a 2020 seventh round pick for Eli Harold entering the 2018 season.
Detroit isn’t likely to outwardly give up on their 2019 season with the sole purpose of the 2020 draft, but should the team keep losing, a higher pick is merely another advantage of some short term pain. This coming season, the Lions could use more defensive help most of all in addition to some depth at wide receiver, quarterback, running back and along the offensive line.
While many things can and will change, count on Stafford trying to be there for his team to help push them to win some of the games down the stretch on the field. The frustration of missing one game might drive him to that most of all.
READ NEXT: NFL Reportedly Investigating Lions Over Matthew Stafford Injury