Lions place Matthew Stafford on COVID-19 list

Heading into their game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Detroit Lions were already going to be without a couple of important pieces in receiver Kenny Golladay and defensive end Trey Flowers. Now, word has just come down that they could. . .could. . .be without their most important player.

The Lions have placed quarterback Matthew Stafford on their reserve/COVID-19 list, meaning that there’s a chance that he could miss the game in Minnesota on Sunday.

Much like we saw with Cameron Dantzler last week, Stafford was placed on the COVID-19 list not because he tested positive himself, but because he was in close contact with someone that had. That means that, much like Dantzler, if Stafford remains asymptomatic and gets a couple of negative tests under his belt, he could be back in time to play on Sunday.

Our friends at Pride of Detroit have clarified the situation.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Stafford did not test positive for COVID, but rather falls in the “close contact” category. Schefter is reporting that contact happened on Monday. So if Stafford isolates for five days and continues to test negative, he could actually play on Sunday without a week of practice.

The Lions’ backup quarterback is Chase Daniel. . .who, of course, led the Chicago Bears to a victory over the Vikings last season when Mitchell “Don’t Call Me Mitch” Trubisky was injured on the opening series. I’m not sure if Stafford being out would make things better or worse.

We’ll be keeping an eye on this situation, as will the folks at Pride of Detroit.