Matthew Stafford played through broken bones in his back in 2018. So it's no surprise he intends to play through a torn ligament in his throwing hand Sunday against the Panthers.
Tests this week revealed that Stafford suffered a partial tear in his right thumb in Detroit's win over Washington last week, according to Tom Pelissero.
The injury occurred early in the first half when Stafford took an illegal hit from LB Kevin Pierre-Louis. He gutted it out to put up the best numbers of his season, and the expectation is that he'll do the same this week.
The injury didn't appear to hinder Stafford against Washington, but we'll see if that changes moving forward. He played with a dislocated finger and torn ligaments in his throwing hand in the final four games of the 2016 season and posted a passer rating of 74.1.
With the Lions trying to mount a playoff push heading into December, they'll need Stafford at his best.
"He probably doesn't get enough credit for his toughness," offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said Tuesday. "I don't think you always know the pains that he goes through. Or a lot of these other guys -- don't want to diminish that -- but he's played through a lot, he's toughed out a lot."
