Matthew Stafford didn’t have much success last time he played with a glove

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is expected to play with a dislocated finger for the rest of the season. The veteran quarterback suffered a PIP (proximal interphalangeal) joint dislocation and torn ligaments on the middle finger of his right hand, which is his throwing hand. According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Stafford is required to play with a glove for the rest of the season.

This isn’t the first time Stafford has had to play with a glove. For three games in 2011, Stafford wore one when he fractured a finger. He threw four picks in his first game with the glove, and then five more the next two games. The Lions went 1-2.

On Sunday, Stafford suffered the injury in the first half against the Chicago Bears. Before the injury, he completed 6 of 7 passes for 50 yards. With the glove, he completed 15 of 28 passes, throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns.

However, Stafford still rallied the Lions back to a 20-17 victory when he bulldozed his way to the end zone on a 7-yard rushing touchdown late in the game.

After the game, Stafford said, “I just tried to play through it, play as good as I could. I let those guys know that it may not be pretty coming in there, but those guys made some great plays for me.”

Stafford is having a terrific season, despite starting the season with a 1-3 record. The veteran quarterback is finding ways to win at a record pace. He earned his eighth comeback victory of the year against Chicago, the most since 1970. In the fourth quarter, he is a lethal quarterback.

Stafford has thrown for 3,447 yards to go along with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. That puts him in the NFL MVP race, especially with Detroit sitting comfortably atop the NFC North at 9-4.

Still, the Vikings and Packers are both lurking behind them in the division, and the Lions face a difficult schedule to close out the season: at the New York Giants, at the Dallas Cowboys, and at home against the Packers.

If the Lions want to win the division, they will need their star quarterback to play like he has been this season. How the glove affects him for the rest of the season remains up in the air, but it didn’t do him any favors five years ago — or on Sunday against the Bears. He had only thrown five picks all of this season before he was intercepted twice on Sunday.