Throughout his NFL career, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has played through numerous injuries, which become a part of his strong reputation.

This has once again been the case as Stafford is currently dealing with a back injury that he suffered back on Dec. 2 against the Los Angeles Rams. Despite it continuing to be an issue, it hasn't changed his mindset toward playing through it this upcoming Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, according to Dave Birkett of the Detriot Free Press.

“I played with it last week, so I plan on playing with it again,” Stafford said.

Stafford has struggled to produce the last couple of weeks, which has seen the Lions drop five out of their last seven games that has put them out of the playoff picture altogether heading into the final three weeks of the regular season. It has been a frustrating campaign for the Lions that will see miss the playoffs for the third time in the last four years.

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The 30-year-old has had a drop off in production this year as he currently has 3,187 passing yards with just 18 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions, along with holding an 89.3 passer rating. Granted, he has been dealing with a nagging back injury that may have contributed to him throwing a season-low 101 yards in the 17-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals last week.

His lack of production combined with the team's lack of success has brought forth questions about whether Stafford can still be the long-term answer under center for the franchise.

There has been no doubt that Stafford is a talented quarterback behind his strong arm, but that hasn't equated to him being able to lead the Lions to consistent success on the field over the years. This could be a situation that the Lions address over the offseason to determine whether he is the future at the position in Detroit.