Stafford (thumb) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
Tending to a sprained right thumb in the aftermath of Sunday's win over Washington, Stafford was withheld from the Lions' first Week 11 practice Wednesday. He was back on the field Thursday, however, with Kyle Meinke of MLive.com noting that the quarterback donned a supportive device to protect the torn ligament in his thumb. Meinke notes that though Stafford only threw about nine light passes during the open portion of the practice, the Lions remain optimistic that he'll be able to tough it out and play Sunday against the Panthers. Even if that's the case, Stafford could find himself without two of his top weapons, as running back D'Andre Swift (concussion) and Kenny Golladay (hip) failed to take part in Thursday's practice.