Lions' Matthew Stafford Clears Concussion Protocol After Exiting with Injury

There was at least a silver lining for the Detroit Lions following Sunday's 34-20 loss to the division rival Minnesota Vikings.

According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford cleared concussion protocol after exiting the contest. Kyle Meinke of MLive noted Stafford blamed himself for holding the ball too long and said he felt fine without any symptoms after the game.

Stafford started off well as Detroit trimmed a 13-0 deficit to 13-10 in the second quarter when he found Marvin Jones Jr. for a touchdown.

However, he threw two red-zone interceptions in the third quarter to all but end Detroit's chances before officials stopped the game and sent him to the sideline after his head hit the leg of a Vikings defender.

In all, he went 23-of-32 for 211 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions before giving way to veteran Chase Daniel. Daniel threw one touchdown and one interception, but the Lions didn't have much of a chance down the stretch because they couldn't stop Dalvin Cook.

Cook ran for 206 yards and two scores.

Birkett noted it was a difficult week for Stafford, who could not practice because he had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. He was not cleared for this game until Sunday morning.

That he cleared concussion protocol suggests he should at least be available for Week 10's game against the Washington Football Team for the 3-5 Lions, who have lost two straight.