Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will not play at home against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the second consecutive week he will be out of action because of a back injury, head coach Matt Patricia said Thursday.
ESPN reported last week that scans of Stafford’s back showed fractured bones. The injury also kept him out of last week’s 20-13 loss to the Chicago Bears, an absence that cost him his 136-game starting streak.
Stafford has not practiced this week as he works through his medical program.
Patricia has classified Stafford as week-to-week, with no word that his availability for the remainder of the season is in jeopardy.
“That’s not my thinking at the moment,” Stafford said last week about stepping aside for the remainder of the season. “My thinking is to try and be out there as soon as I possibly can to help us win.”
Stafford has passed for 2,499 yards with 19 touchdowns and five interceptions this season as the team has gone 3-4-1 when he was on the field. The 31-year-old former No. 1 overall selection in the draft in 2009 has 41,025 passing yards over 11 seasons with 256 TDs and 134 interceptions.