There is still some lingering concerns over an elbow injury Matthew Stafford appeared to suffer in the season opener. While the quarterback downplayed any problems he was seen on the field wearing a protective sleeve that have some worried heading into Week 2. The team failed to get the win over the San Diego Chargers as the passing game left a lot to be desired. If Stafford is not healthy going against the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions will lean heavily on Ameer Abdullah.
Everyone is downplaying the severity of Stafford's elbow issue. According to MLive.com, the quarterback was a full participant in practice on Thursday which is good news for the wide receivers look for more involvement. Stafford admitted to the media that he was experiencing numbness in his fingers when he threw a late-game interception, but insists he will be healthy for Week 2.
"Anytime you take a hit like that that's sort of unexpected and gets you from the (front) side like that, obviously, it's going to disrupt you a little bit and he hit him pretty flush," head coach Jim Caldwell said via NFL.com. "But he's a tough guy and he was able to bounce back and come back strong enough to lead us down the field and score and put us in position if we get an onside kick to maybe go and tie the thing up. So he bounced back. Tough guy."
The biggest issue for Stafford appears to be getting Calvin Johnson involved in the passing game. Fantasy owners were not thrilled when the wide receiver got just four targets in the game. Both Eric Ebron and Golden Tate were targeted twice as much as the leading receiver. Stafford said he was simply reacting to what the defense showed, but that in order to win games Johnson must get more looks no matter what.
"You have a great player like that, you want to get him the ball as much as you can," Stafford said, via ESPN.com. "There's no question. Have I been guilty in my career of probably throwing it to him when some other guys in this league may not have? Yeah. But I have trust in him and understand that. But at the same time, we have a lot of playmakers and we're trying to get everybody involved in the game and have everybody have a great game."
Abdullah is preparing to have a big Week 2 performance after not being named the starter for Week 1. The running back was clear game-changer for the Lions getting his first touchdown and an increased number of carries is expected to come his way. According to MLive.com, both Brandon Pettigrew and Tate sat out of practice with injuries which will make the run game that much more important against the Minnesota Vikings.
What he did (Sunday) is kind of what we see him doing," Caldwell said. "He's returning kicks, he's running the ball and he's catching the ball out of the backfield. I'm not certain there's anything more (he can do) than that. He had 199 yards or so of total offense. That's the kind of role that I think you'll see him play, for the most part."
