For Matthew Stafford, this was just another injury, just more pain to ignore. He's played through so much in his career, including broken bones in his back at the end of the 2018 season, that he didn't give much thought to playing through the latest round of back fractures he sustained midway through last season.
Were it up to Stafford, he would have taken the field Week 10 against the Bears for the 137th game in a row, and each week after that until he reached the season's finish line. The Lions' playoff hopes were hanging by a thread and Stafford's arm was the only thing giving them a chance.
In an interview Friday on Good Morning Football, Stafford said he 'hated' having to sit out for the first time since the 2010 season, his second in the NFL.
"It was something that I just had to let heal. I didn't really want to, to be honest with you," he said. "I wanted to get out there and play because we were playing at a high level, but needed to do it and I feel great now. It's a lot of fun to get the pads back on and go out there and throw it to all the talented dudes I got around me."
In the midst of the best season of his career, Stafford injured his back trying to scramble for a first down late in Detroit's Week 9 loss to the Raiders. He expected to play the next week in Chicago, because why wouldn't he? It came as a major surprise when Stafford was ruled out shortly before kickoff that Sunday.
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As he watched the rest of the season from the sidelines, Stafford said he learned "just how much I love the game."
"It had been eight or so years since I had missed one, and it tore me up when I couldn't be out there," he said. "I remember thinking I was going to play that week in Chicago, and then right before the game I got the news I wasn't going to be able to and it beat me up pretty good."
Stafford lobbied the Lions to let him return over the next couple months, and the club didn't place him on injured reserve until Week 16. Matt Patricia ultimately said it was in the 'best interest' of Stafford and the team to keep him off the field.
"I have the utmost respect for Matthew and his efforts to try to do everything he could to get back and play," Patricia said at the time. "Just at this point, it looks like it'd really be in the best interest for him, and us obviously as an organization, to give him that opportunity to rest and to heal."
The time off was to Stafford's benefit, whether he wanted it or not. He made a full recovery and now he's poised to lead a passing attack that could be one of the best in the NFL. Prior to his injury last year, the Lions ranked third in the league in passing yards per game.
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"I feel like I had a really good grasp on this offense in the first year and I'm hoping to build on that," Stafford said this offseason. "We've got a lot of really good players on our side of the ball that want to be a great offense, and that's the first step to it. Hopefully we can continue to get better in year two."
