The #Vikings defense played physical.
5 keys to the #VikingsVictory: http://t.co/RJtzu4wMLl pic.twitter.com/Ui1ybrNQ6w
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 20, 2015
Matthew Stafford took a tremendous beating at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings defense on Sunday.
To his credit, Stafford finished the game, despite leaving the field bloodied and bruised.
Kyle Meinke described the state of Stafford best in his game recap at Mlive.com.
“There was a blood-soaked bandage on his left forearm, near the elbow. He began picking at a bandage around his left wrist. His throwing arm looked beat up too. It’s no wonder he put on long sleeves for that press conference.The big toe on his left foot was blue.Two toes on his right foot were taped.Players began filing out of the locker room, one after another, leaving behind bottles and trash and banana peels. But Stafford just kept sitting there in the corner, breathing just right, trying to soothe his battered ribs.”
Fox Sports reports that Stafford had X-rays on his ribs following the game.
Word out of Lions locker room is that Matthew Stafford apparently is still alive although his offensive line is holding a mandatory vigil
— Brian Murphy (@murphmedia_) September 20, 2015
Matthew Stafford is donating blood today.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 20, 2015
Eric Kendricks just smashed Matthew Stafford as he threw.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) September 20, 2015
Bottom line: Stafford got his butt kicked by the Vikings, and he wasn’t getting much support from his teammates on the field – or on the sidelines. In the fourth quarter, Stafford ran out of bounds only to get a two-handed shove in the back from Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr.
The play happened on Detroit’s sideline, but the only person who seemed to get upset was Stafford. Pro Football Talk notes that his teammates didn’t “pull many muscles rushing to his defense.”
Ex-NFL star Rodney Harrison, per the Detroit Free Press, thought the lack of support for Stafford on that play “shows me how much respect this team has for Matthew Stafford. Not a lot.”
The Vikings have an extensive photo gallery with amazing images from the game. Check it out right here.
Matthew Stafford on his health & the #Lions' performance at Minnesota: http://t.co/F9VPM976HF.https://t.co/5m6Izp1jep
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 21, 2015
