Matthew Stafford’s throwing hand doesn’t look good, but X-rays were negative. Coach Jim Caldwell told reporters after the game that the Lions quarterback has only a bruised right hand.
Stafford left the 44-20 loss to the Ravens late in the fourth quarter after he was stepped on.
Stafford said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive Media Group, he lost some feeling in his hand and had a burning nerve pain. Stafford added that he should be OK.
Stafford finished 24-of-29 for 292 yards and a touchdown.
“My heart goes out to him,” wide receiver Golden Tate said, via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. “There’s no better competitor than him. He’s a great leader. But you know when your quarterback is on the ground week in and week out, crossing your fingers only gets you so far. He’s tough, and he’s going to do whatever he can to be on the field, but we’ve got to do whatever we can to protect him.”
Stafford injured his throwing hand late last season, too. Though he played through an injured middle finger, the Lions lost four in a row after a 9-4 start, including a 26-6 loss to Seattle in the postseason.
He also broke the index finger on his throwing hand in a late October game in 2011. He played three games after a bye week, while wearing a glove to get a better grip on the football.
