Matthew Stafford Has Fractures in Back and Won't Play Against Bears
By Michael Luciano
The Detroit Lions will start a quarterback not named Matthew Stafford for the first time since 2010.
Stafford's consecutive starts streak will end at 136, as he won't suit up today against the Chicago Bears. Backup Jeff Driskel will make his sixth career start in Stafford's absence, as he is dealing with fractures in his back.
Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford has fractured bones in his back and doctors will not let him play today vs. Bears, per source. Jeff Driskell starts for Detroit.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2019
Stafford is in the middle of one of the most productive seasons of his career, as he's thrown for 2,499 yards and 19 touchdowns against just five interceptions in eight games for the Lions.
Stafford was reportedly held out from this game by doctors, who fear he could miss anywhere from 1-3 weeks with his back injury.
Driskel, a former sixth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, made five starts last season for the Cincinnati Bengals, winning one of them. He completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns.
Matthew Stafford had started 136 consecutive regular-season games entering today, the 6th-longest streak for a QB in NFL history. The last Lions’ QB to start a game other than Stafford was Shaun Hill, in Week 17 of the 2010 season, when he beat the Vikings 20-13.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2019
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Detroit risks going into the tank if they lose Stafford for any extended period of time. Hopefully Driskel can tread water until Stafford returns.