Lions QB Matthew Stafford on his shoulder:

"I'm sore enough and feeling enough pain that we collectively felt like it was probably a better decision to not play this week," Stafford said. "Structurally, it's not getting any worse, which is good. It's just one of those deals that it's pretty painful and there's some swelling, and all that goes into it. Hopefully, that'll die down with some rest. ...

"I think it's a week-by-week deal. We'll look at it and see how I'm feeling and see how it's progressing at the end of this week and just take it game by game."

Word is Lions QB Matthew Stafford (shoulder) has been ruled out for Week 14 action. Daunte Culpepper starts for Detroit.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford will not start Sunday at Baltimore because the Lions want to rest his injured left shoulder. Daunte Culpepper will start.

Stafford did not participate in the portion of practice open to reporters today, after aggravating his left shoulder injury Sunday at Cincinnati. Stafford was on the field observing, but with no helmet or shoulder pads. Culpepper and Drew Stanton split reps. Tight end Casey Fitzsimmons also was not participating. Fitzsimmons was dazed after Sunday's game.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford aggravated his injured non-throwing shoulder late in the 23-13 loss to the Bengals. He was releived by Daunte Culpepper and watched the end of the game from the sideline. Stafford says he’ll consider sitting out a game or two to heal the injury.

Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford doesn't believe he did any further damage to his left shoulder injury, but that doesn't mean he's guaranteed to play next week.

Stafford left the game in the final minutes after he was slammed to the turf on his left shoulder. Stafford separated that shoulder two weeks and while he said it hasn't affected his performance, he has been dealing with a great deal of pain.

"It felt about the same it did in Cleveland. I don't think I injured it any worse. He hit me just right,'' said Stafford after Detroit's 23-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

When asked if he might play next week, Stafford said, "It's something that I'm going to have to think about. I might be playing next week or I might not. I have no idea right now.''

Lions QB Matthew Stafford (shoulder probable) will continue to start for the Lions this weekend barring a setback. He is not a good play against a tough Bengals defense and with a hurting non-throwing shoulder.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford (knee) practiced fully again Thursday and is in line for the start against a tough Cincinati defense.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford (left shoulder) practiced fully Wednesday and is in line to start Sunday in an unfavorable matchup against the Bengals.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson were on the field today as the Detroit Lions practiced for the first time since the Thanksgiving game against Green Bay.

Stafford played through a left shoulder injury against the Packers. Johnson played through hand and knee injuries.

Defensive end Dewayne White (toe) and linebacker Ernie Sims (hamstring) returned to practice. But safety Kalvin Pearson (hamstring) and offensive lineman Daniel Loper (back) were not participating in the portion of practice open to reporters. Dylan Gandy was at right guard.

Lions running back Kevin Smith struggled once again in Thursday's 34-12 loss to Green Bay. He gained only 43 yards on 18 carries. Multiple times, he had room to run, only to let someone trip him up.

"I had a bad game," said Smith, who also caught four passes for 46 yards. "This is the type of game that you hit your head on a wall about. There are a few of them where I was real close to slipping out of them. That's on me. Once your line gets you to the second level, that's on me."

The Lions struggled to run even against seven-man fronts. That allowed the Packers to keep their safeties deep to smother wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who played through hand and knee injuries and caught only two passes for 10 yards, even though he was targeted 12 times. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw four interceptions.

"We weren't able to run the ball against Cover Two, and that's been a problem for us," coach Jim Schwartz said. "We had a hard time getting open. Anytime you're in that situation, and when they're playing for pass and we're not able to consistently run the ball, you know you set yourself up for plays that we had turnovers."