Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is coming off an injury-plagued 2018 NFL season. It appears his injuries were worse than what was initially reported.

Stafford had been nursing a back injury down the final stretch of the season. According to Mike O’Hara of the team’s official website, he had reportedly played through broken bones in his back:

“He had a broken back last year,” he said during a recent episode of his weekly podcast with WJR’s Ken Brown. “Broken bones in his back.”

The prospect of Stafford playing through such an injury is certainly not too far-fetched. While he can be fairly criticized for some of his shortcomings, toughness is not one of them. Despite the team's struggles last year, he made it a point to continue playing and increase his start streak to 128 games in a row.

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Regardless, it is safe to say that the injuries had an effect on his play. Stafford threw for just 3,777 yards, which is a career-low in seasons where he played at least 16 games.

Even though the veteran has proven the be as tough as they come, the Lions realize some significant changes will need to be made in order to keep him healthy moving forward.

Detroit has been optimistic about a potential resurgence for Stafford in the 2019 NFL season. They are even set to install a new offense around him that will likely rely on a more balanced approach.

While he has proven capable of putting up big numbers on a consistent basis, the Lions will need to do what they can to ensure that it translates into wins.