Matthew Stafford’s status for Sunday’s game in Minnesota remains very much up in the air. The Lions quarterback continues to test negative for COVID-19 after being exposed earlier in the week, but he will need to pass one on Saturday and another Sunday morning in order to play.
The imposed isolation for Stafford led to a complication. The starting quarterback couldn’t practice with teammates or really even throw the ball around with anyone.
Lions head coach Matt Patricia doesn’t seem too concerned about No. 9’s ability to go out and play without practicing during the week.
“I think if you called Matt Stafford on an April day and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to go play a 60-minute football game,’ he’d be able to go out there and rip it. He’d be fine,” Patricia said about Stafford. “He’d see defenses; he’d see coverage. He’d be doing all the right things. He’s a great vet. He knows how to play the game.”
Not wanting to downplay the importance of practice, Patricia offered the context of Stafford’s veteran status and his outstanding track record of game prep.
“I do always think in the game of football that there’s a little continuity that needs to go on, and especially when you have different guys out on the field and maybe different players in different positions week-in, week-out and all that. So I do think that’s why practice is important from that standpoint, but I trust Matt Stafford to always do the right things, be ready to go and that’s where we are right now,” Patricia concluded.
We’ll find out close to game time if Stafford is able to play on Sunday.
