9:54 PM ET
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is expected to start Sunday’s season finale against Minnesota even as he deals with multiple injuries sustained over the last two months of the season, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Stafford suffered a right thumb injury against Washington on Nov. 15, a rib injury on Dec. 13 against Green Bay and a right ankle injury against Tampa Bay last weekend. Still, he’s managed to start every game for the 5-10 Lions this season — and will likely do so again against the Vikings (6-9).
“If the rest of me, if I’m good, I want to be out there,” Stafford said Monday, two days after the ankle injury took him out of all but one drive of Detroit’s 47-7 loss to the Buccaneers. “Do everything I can to try and get there towards the end of the week and kind of how to figure it out how it goes day-to-day, how it responds to treatment, all of that.
“But hopefully I can get it good enough to go and be out there.”
Stafford, 32, did not practice Wednesday and was initially not expected to practice Thursday, but ended up doing so