from Jones, since Anquan Boldin was gone from last year’s team, and rookie Kenny Golladay hasn’t been totally healthy. This week, the Lions put receiver TJ Jones on injured reserve , so he’s no longer available after catching

ALLEN PARK Color Rush Will Harris Jersey , Mich. (AP)Matthew Stafford kept his injury under wraps. Stafford covered his banged-up right hand in a huge, white towel while reporters had access to the Detroit Lions’ locker room on Wednesday afternoon. ”I love that I have to do this for you guys,” he said with a sigh. At Stafford’s weekly news conference earlier in the day, he was asked to show his injured hand. ”I’d rather not if that’s OK,” he said. Stafford seemed to be resting the injured fingers on his throwing hand earlier in the day on the field. He did not throw passes when the media was able to watch the beginning of the practice and the Lions say he was limited, a step above not practicing at all. His right hand was stepped on in Sunday’s loss at Baltimore, knocking him out of the game. The next day, Stafford had bandages wrapped around his pinkie, ring and middle fingers. ”I was a little nervous walking off the field,” he said. ”Didn’t really know what to expect, and what it was going to be. So, happy that nothing’s broken in there.” While Stafford and the Lions were relieved that X-rays were negative, no one is declaring him good to go. ”He’s not out of the woods yet Cheap Will Harris Jersey ,” Detroit coach Jim Caldwell said. ”We’ll kind of see what he can do as the week goes on. It’s not like it’s some insignificant injury. That’s not the case. It’s something that he’s going to have to really work at and deal with here during the course of the week.” The Lions (6-6) face Tampa Bay (4-8) on the road Sunday, clinging to slim chances of earning a spot in the playoffs. Stafford acknowledged he will have to test his hand in practice before he plays. He has started 108 straight games over six-plus seasons. That’s the third-longest active streak among quarterbacks – trailing the Chargers’ Philip Rivers (118) and Atlanta’s Matt Ryan (127) – in the NFL. ”It’ll be important to take a look at it and see how it’s feeling, and hopefully get it progressing throughout the week,” Stafford said. His inexperienced backups are second-year pro Jake Rudock and rookie Brad Kaaya, who is on the practice squad. Rudock gained valuable, if not painful, experience in a 44-20 loss against the Ravens. He went into the game late in the fourth quarter and completed his first three throws before throwing an incomplete pass and an interception that was returned for a touchdown. ”Nothing can prepare you for the speed of a regular-season game because it’s a different animal from anything you can simulate otherwise,” Rudock said. ”It was nice to get my feet wet, but I wish I played better.” Stafford has proven he can play hurt, drawing respect from his teammates. ”If you ask him, `How’s your hand is doing?’ He’ll probably say, `It’s still attached. I’ll see you out there,”’ receiver Golden Tate said. ”It’s like jeez Will Harris Jersey Womens , `How do you do it?’ It’s definitely something we notice and appreciate about him.” He was having one of his best seasons last season until an injured middle finger on his right hand along with stiffer competition stunted his and the team’s success. In 2011, he played with a broken index finger on his passing hand. ”Every one of them is different,” Stafford said. ”You got to kind of figure out what feels good, what doesn’t, and go from there.” — ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP)With their playoff hopes teetering, the Detroit Lions have plenty at stake when they play at Cincinnati this weekend. The fact that receiver Marvin Jones will be facing his old team barely registers. ”I’m just going to see a couple of friends that I have there,” Jones said Wednesday. ”But other than that, it’s no significance.” Jones spent his first four years in the NFL with the Bengals before signing with Detroit in 2016. Sunday’s game will be his first back in Cincinnati, but he doesn’t see a lot of nostalgia in the matchup, although he does keep in touch with some of the guys he played with. ”We’re always on the group text, every week,” Jones said. ”Me Matthew Stafford Jersey , Mohamed Sanu, A.J. (Green), Andrew Hawkins.” Of that foursome, only Green is still with Cincinnati, which may explain why this game isn’t that personal to Jones. The move to Detroit has worked out fine for him. He arrived just after the Lions had lost Calvin Johnson to retirement, and in his first season with Detroit, Jones caught 55 passes for 930 yards, the latter figure a career high. With two games to go this season, he has 54 receptions for 970 yards – and he’s eyeing the 1,000-yard mark. ”It’s always a milestone for a receiver to go over a thousand,” he said. ”So yeah, I’m looking forward to it.” Detroit (8-6) is running out of time to make up ground in the playoff race, but the passing game has been doing its part. In fact Darius Slay Jersey , the Lions have largely withstood the loss of Johnson before last season. Golden Tate has 82 catches this season, and Jones leads the team in yards receiving. It’s clear quarterback Matthew Stafford has confidence in Jones as a deep threat. ”Marv’s put a lot of work in. I think our system and the system he came from in Cincinnati is quite a bit different, and he did a great job of adjusting, putting the work in,” Stafford said. ”And then, on Sundays he just goes out there and makes plays. I’m giving him chances on certain throws, and he’s going up and making me right more often than not. So, it’s nice to have.” Detroit needed another productive season from Jones, since Anquan Boldin was gone from last year’s team, and rookie Kenny Golladay hasn’t been totally healthy. This week, the Lions put receiver TJ Jones on injured reserve , so he’s no longer available after catching 30 passes this season. Still, Stafford leads the NFC in yards passing Marvin Jones Jersey , and he’s thrown for 25 touchdowns with only nine interceptions. All that despite being sacked 43 times – and with little support from the running game. Right now, Stafford’s top targets include Tate, Marvin Jones, Golladay, running back Theo Riddick and tight end Eric Ebron. The improvements Stafford has noticed in Jones suddenly seem even more important. ”I think just precision and his route running has gotten a whole lot better, and with that has come separation at the top of routes and all that kind of stuff, the better you get at running them,” Stafford said. ”Some of the routes that we’re asking him to run here are probably different than what he had done in the past, so it took some time, and some effort, and some concentration, and focus on those details and he’s done a nice job with that.” —