GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 30: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions walks off the field after beating the Green Bay Packers 31-0 at Lambeau Field on December 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Matthew Stafford can’t be focused on football at the moment. He realizes that his wife Kelly’s recovery from brain surgery must be his top priority.
This is the time of year when most NFL starting quarterbacks are starting to turn their attention to preparing for the 2019 regular season. That isn’t the case for Matthew Stafford. The Lions quarterback has something much more important to focus on at the moment.
At the moment, Stafford is trying to walk the fine line between being there for his family and being there for his teammates. His wife Kelly underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove a brain tumor last week. On Wednesday, she was forced to return to the hospital after struggling to taper off the steroid regimen prescribed after her procedure.
Matthew had rejoined his teammates working out at the Lions facility on Monday, but returned home to help aid his wife in her recovery. The team has given their starting quarterback full permission to take all the time he needs to deal with the issue. At this time, it’s unclear how Kelly’s return to the hospital might impact her husband’s immediate future with the team.
The health of the Stafford family is clearly the number one priority for everyone involved, but it’s not an ideal situation for the Lions. Detroit has a big hill to climb to get back into the playoff picture in the NFC North. Their 6-10 record left them six games behind the first-place Bears to finish the 2018 campaign.
It’s hard to envision a scenario where the Lions can make up any ground in the division without a fully focused Stafford at the helm of their offense. That can only happen if his wife makes a full recovery. That’s exactly what the prolific quarterback will be focused on for the foreseeable future.