Quarterback Matthew Stafford saw his 136-game starting streak snapped Sunday in Chicago, and said Monday it was an odd feeling watching a game from the sideline for the first time in eight years.
"I was probably in one of the weirder places I've been mentally in a long time watching that game. It was tough," Stafford said Monday in front of his locker. "Obviously, I want to be out there with the guys. I think it was the right decision, a collective decision, but it's tough. I love playing this game. Work really hard to try and be out there for my teammates and wasn't able to do it, tough pill to swallow."
Jeff Driskel started in place of Stafford. Driskel completed 27-of-46 passes for 269 yards with a touchdown and interception in Detroit's 20-13 loss to the Bears, a loss that drops Detroit's record to 3-5-1 on the year.
Stafford said he felt good in practice last week and was surprised when a scan Friday evening on the back injury he suffered late in the Oakland game the week prior showed a more serious issue.
"It surprised me," Stafford said. "Definitely had a bunch of discussions and a bunch of people look at it to try and see if there was anything I could possibly do to help my chances of playing."
Ultimately, Stafford said it was a collective decision between the doctors, coaches and himself to hold him out, and in the end he thought the right decision was made.
Stafford said he's going to do everything he can to be out there and play as soon as possible, squashing the notion that he'd sit the remainder of the season. His return will come down to pain management and functionality.
"It's just something that's kinda going to be a decision week to week whether or not I can make it out there," he said. "But I'm going to do everything I can to be out there as soon as possible."
In terms of the weekend timeline, Stafford got the scan on Friday. Saturday he and the team tried to find ways for him to play, but they ultimately couldn't come up with one. He knew Saturday night he probably wasn't going to start, but held out the possibility of being an emergency quarterback to come off the bench and hand off a bunch of times, if needed.
The final decision Sunday morning was a dress vs. no dress decision and not a play vs. not play decision.
