Is Jim Schwartz Staying Mum on Matthew Stafford's MRI Because of Their Next Opponent?

By: Kim O'Hara | Posted: September 24, 2012

In a move that could be considered downright Belichickian, Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz has declined to report on Matthew Stafford’s status after the young quarterback exited the game late on Sunday with an injury. Stafford watched from the sidelines as backup quarterback Shaun Hill lead a valiant comeback, including a Hail Mary pass, to force overtime in Tennessee before falling to the Titans. 

After the game, Stafford described the injury as a strain that occurred earlier that week in practice and seemed to be aggravated over the course of nearly four quarters. He underwent an MRI today, at which point all transparency seems to have been abandoned.

Schwartz said he had “no comment” in response to the MRI results, and will not publicly make a decision on Stafford’s Week 4 status until Friday. There could be a number of reasons for this announcement, but I think it has to do with Sunday’s opponent. The Lions will play host to divisional foe Minnesota, a team that successfully dismantled the previously undefeated San Franscico 49ers this week. If Schwartz remains coy about his starting quarterback, the Vikings will be forced to prepare for both Stafford and Hill. 

That being said, if the Vikings secondary performs as well as it did yesterday, it may not matter which quarterback they face. 

Kim O'Hara is the Associate Editor of TheFootballGirl.com. She is an avid fan of sports in general, but the NFL in particular. She has also been a contributor to ESPN the Magazine. Follow her on Twitter: @arahomik   

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