Stafford (back/hip) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Stafford had been sidelined for each of the past six games with multiple fractures in his back in addition to a minor hip issue, but he maintained hope he would be able to make it back into action before the season ended. The typically durable veteran ultimately wasn't able to heal as quickly as he anticipated, prompting the Lions to shut him down for their final two games. With top understudy Jeff Driskel (hamstring) having previously moved to IR, the Lions will turn to David Blough and Kyle Sloter as their quarterbacks for the remainder of the season.