Matthew Stafford Ready To Go vs Minnesota Vikings

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford took a solid hit to his throwing elbow in last Sunday’s loss to the San Diego Chargers, but says he is “ready to go” in week two.

I don’t care who you are. When your teams starting quarterback takes a hit and lands awkwardly on his throwing arm, you’re going to be concerned. Last Sunday vs. the San Diego Chargers that’s exactly what happened to Matthew Stafford.

Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

In the third quarter, Stafford dropped back to pass and was hit by Chargers linebacker, Melvin Ingram. The hit sent the ball straight into the air and ended up resulting in an interception. Perhaps more importantly though, at least for the long-term, was the fact that Stafford took the hit directly to his throwing arm. Or more specifically, his throwing elbow.

Following the hit, Stafford would return to the game wearing a protective sleeve. He would go on to throw yet another untimely interception and the Lions would go on to lose 33-28 despite being up by 17 points in the second quarter. While the true extent of the injury remains unknown, even to this day, you have to wonder if it had something to do with the turnovers late in the game.

Pro Bowl wide receiver Calvin Johnson stated that he noticed a difference in Stafford following the hit.

"“You could tell. You could see, see little grimaces and stuff like that.”"

Here is what head coach Jim Caldwell had to say at a Lions press conference earlier this week:

On how he felt QB Matthew Stafford looked yesterday in practice: “Fine.”

On if he has any concerns about Stafford’s health status: “You know, anytime a guy’s on the injury report, there’s an issue there. We don’t just put him on there for good measure. But he performed well yesterday.”

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On the communication between Stafford and Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi during the game last week with regards to Stafford’s arm: “You know what, that game happened last Sunday. I’m looking forward, really. You’re looking at a tough kid who you guys have been around a long time. This guy is hard to get out of a ball game. He’s played with a number of issues that have come up because of getting knocked down, tackled, etc. in some very, very uncomfortable situations. But he’s not one to complain or shy away from – As you guys know, seeing him with his arm hanging, in his rookie year I think it was. He just kept going, you know, and that’s kind of his attitude, and that’s certainly the way in which he performs. Oftentimes that’s why he is who he is. He’s tough, hard-nosed and he’s going to give it a try before he backs down at any point in time.”

On if Stafford told anybody about his arm injury during the game: “I’m not going to go into all that. That was last week. We’ll worry about that somewhere down the line. This game, he’s up and ready to go.”

On how much he has to pay attention to Stafford’s health: “Just like we do any other player.”

While there is no mistaking the fact that Matthew Stafford is indeed as tough as they come, we can all obviously agree that we hope the injury concern is in the past and that Stafford is 100 percent moving forward.

Otherwise, this kid with his cat will be right.

Nate Williams is an editor and columnist for SideLionReport.com of the FanSided Network. FOr more Detroit Lions news, rumors and analysis, be sure to follow him on twitter at @SLR_Nate!

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