Stafford says finger affected him but will get better

The team rushed for 114 yards in the win over the Bears.

Nah, Stafford would prefer the way his team beat New Orleans a week ago – thoroughly and without drama – than what happened again Sunday against Chicago, with Detroit picking up comeback win No. 8 this season in a 20-17 win over the Bears.

“It just takes some getting used to”, Stafford said. The training room guys, the equipment staff, everybody did a great job.

The Lions, who have not won a division title since 1993, lead the NFC North by two games. He played with it the rest of the game but said it affected his grip and the velocity on his throws.

“They need one more win”, Bacon said. “Anytime we lined up in that formation they brought a safety down to cover me”, Bolden said. “Effort’s not an area we’re deficient in”.

And it’s not just Green Bay that’s surging.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will play through his finger injury, head coach Jim Caldwell confirmed.

After trailing 17-13 with 7:07 left to play in the fourth quarter, the Lions put together a 7-play, 76-yard drive that covered 3:50 and culminated with a 7-yard touchdown scramble by QB Matthew Stafford with 3:17 left to play.

Golden Tate caught six passes for 58 yards and Anquan Boldin caught three passes, including a touchdown, for Detroit.

The Lions and Stafford will assess non-surgical options to deal with the injury for the remainder of the season, including wearing a glove or a soft splint to stabilize the finger. “The great thing about it is he’s mentally tough and was able to battle through it”.

The drive also made Stafford the first quarterback since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger to lead his team on eight game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Except it has been completely, totally the Lions this season. So when Barkley hit Meredith in a soft spot in the Lions’ coverage with the second-year receiver then breaking free for a big play, the Bears were well within range for a tying field-goal attempt.

Stafford threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter Sunday.

DeAndre Levy is finally back. He had three tackles and an assist.

Clearly, we’re not privy to something going on in Bears’ practices or perhaps there’s some injury stuff we don’t know.

Given his story, Bears quarterback Matt Barkley deserves to be proud for admirable play in his first three National Football League starts.

During a meeting last week, John Fox presented the stats to his players: in yards allowed per game, the Bears were a top-10 defense.