Lions rule out Matthew Stafford against Cowboys

Allen Park — If it wasn't clear already, the Detroit Lions officially ruled out quarterback Matthew Stafford for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. 

Asked if there was any scenario he could see Stafford suit up, Lions coach Matt Patricia said, "Not this Sunday."

Without going into specifics, Patricia said Stafford remains on a medical plan and progressing well. 

"I'm not going to go into the details of that," Patricia said. "There are different things our doctors are doing, that everybody is doing, to hit those markers. 

"He's going great," Patricia continued. "He's fine, grinding away, studying, getting ready to go, helping everybody around him and preparing, which is great. It just keeps everything consistent to us. Same old getting ready to play the game."

After starting 136 consecutive games, this will mark the second consecutive week Stafford will be sidelined by a back injury. Jeff Driskel will make his second start with the Lions. 

"It's really just a steady process, nothing really changes too much," Patricia said of Driskell. "There is maybe a little more focus on what he brings to the table. Maybe some of his abilities are a little bit different, from that aspect of it, that help the overall understanding of how we're going to play the game, which is maybe a little bit different."

In addition to Stafford, the Lions will also be without defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand (ankle) and offensive tackle Rick Wagner (concussion). Both players didn't practice this week. 

The team also listed five players as questionable, including safety Tracy Walker, who made his return to practice on Friday after missing the past two games with a knee injury. 

Also questionable are running back Ty Johnson (concussion), defensive end Romeo Okwara (groin), punter Sam Martin (abdomen) and defensive tackle Damon Harrison (groin).