Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford didn’t break any bones in his hand when he injured it during last Sunday’s loss to the Ravens, but that doesn’t mean he’s sure to be under center against the Buccaneers this Sunday.
Coach Jim Caldwell said on Monday that the quarterback was sore and provided another update on Wednesday. Caldwell said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, that Stafford has made progress since Sunday but is “not out of the woods yet.”
“He’s got to be able to function ... And obviously this one’s going to take work,” Caldwell said.
Stafford has played through a variety of injuries while starting every game the Lions have played since the start of the 2011 season, so the odds are pretty good that he’ll find a way to get on the field Sunday in hopes of keeping Detroit’s rapidly shrinking playoff hopes from disappearing altogether. If he doesn’t, Jake Rudock will be in line for his first NFL start.