You can criticize Matthew Stafford all you want, but don’t question his toughness. Stafford has had a history of playing hurt during his years behind a shaky Lions offensive line.
According to The Athletic’s Jordan Rodrigue, Stafford had minor surgery in March to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his thumb.
In addition to that injury, Stafford also tore the UCL in his elbow while trying to stiff-arm a Houston Texans defender in November. In Week 2, he broke the cartilage on his eighth rib and also sprained the subtalar joint in his right ankle at some point during the season.