They waited as long as they could, but with injuries mounting elsewhere and time running out for him to return this season, the Detroit Lions officially brought an end to Matthew Stafford’s season on Tuesday.
The Lions placed Stafford on season-ending injured reserve a little more than six weeks after he fractured bones in his back in a Nov. 3 loss to the Oakland Raiders.
The Lions were leaving the door open for Stafford to come back and play this season, despite being out of the playoff picture. Stafford was having a nice season before getting hurt, he threw for 2,499 yards and 19 TDs over the first eight games. They lost all six games without Stafford under center.