Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has been placed on the Reserve/Covid-19 list per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. For Stafford, it is the second time this season, fortunately, the first time was only a false positive. Although he didn’t test positive, he may have been in close contact with someone who did.
According to Detroit Free Press, Stafford, after his false positive, said:
“I had no reason to not believe the results, or whatever, except for the fact that I was feeling fine. But there’s plenty of people out there that are positive and asymptomatic as well. So I think, yeah, there was no doubt there was some fear as I think everybody would have if they got a test that came back positive. And just knowing how much that I’m around and had been around my family and my kids, that’s a little bit of a scary thing.”
The NFL has had to deal with a few changes for COVID-19 protocols after the scare in Tennessee. The players’ safety is clearly the priority, and although there might be false positives, it is better to be safe than sorry. In no way teams are going to take chances with their players.
Detroit is 3-4 this season, with only one notable win over Arizona. They’re coming off a week 8 home loss to the Colts, where Stafford had 336 yards and three pass touchdowns and an interception.
Stafford needs to isolate for five days and test negative every day until Sunday, then he can join the team. However, if something does go wrong, veteran backup QB Chase Daniel must step up against a poor Minnesota defense. The Vikings have given up more than 400 passing yards per game, per ESPN. Hopefully, Stafford can return to the lineup in time to face the Vikings Sunday.
