Cowboys @ Lions: Detroit head coach Matt Patricia doesn’t anticipate QB Matthew Stafford playing

We’re two days away from the Dallas Cowboys taking on the Detroit Lions, and boy does America’s Team need a win. Dallas lost last week against the Minnesota Vikings and while they are in first place in the NFC East, they need as many wins as they can get. Detroit is hardly a walk in the park, but they’re currently dealing with an injury at the quarterback position and that can always have a big impact on games.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford missed last week’s game against the Chicago Bears due to a back injury. Jeff Driskel had to start in his place and it’s been unknown whether or not Stafford will be able to return on Sunday against the Cowboys. Detroit head coach Matt Patricia met with the media on Friday and said that he doesn’t anticipate Stafford playing.

Injuries suck and you never want to see a player miss time because of them, but the reality here is that the Lions having to operate without Stafford drastically decreases their chances of winning.

Of course, the Cowboys have drawn certain teams without their star players a lot this season. Consider that the Cowboys played the Saints without Drew Brees, Packers without Davante Adams, and Vikings without Adam Thielen. They lost all three of those games.

Jeff Driskel was 27 of 46 against Chicago last week and ultimately threw for 269 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. We’ll see if he’s able to have more success against Dallas if he does indeed end up starting.