Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford was back with the first-team offense during Lions practice Thursday, the Detroit News reported, a day after splitting duties with backup Shaun Hill.
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Stafford injured his right ankle late in the Lions' Week 7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. While Stafford was expectedly sore Wednesday, Lions coach Jim Schwartz was vague about his status and referred to the quarterback as day to day for the team's Sunday clash against the Denver Broncos.
The outlook for Stafford seems to have improved 24 hours later.
"He is improved today over yesterday, and I think that he's on a pretty good track right now," Lions coach Jim Schwartz told the Detroit Free Press.
Not only did he practice with the first-team offense, but the Free Press also reported that Stafford's ankle looked fine as he was able to run through "a full complement of handoffs on dropbacks" and work out of the shotgun formation.
Stafford has made all seven starts for the 5-2 Lions this year after injuries limited him to 13 out of a possible 32 games the past two seasons.