Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was benched in Sunday's 42-17 loss to the Cardinals, but he'll take the team's first snap against the Bears next week.
Coach Jim Caldwell told reporters Stafford is still the team's starting quarterback despite his early season struggles.
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"Really, it's like a pitcher not having a very good day," Caldwell said, via the Detroit Free Press. "The pitcher comes out and the pitcher obviously, he's still the starter. He's still our starter, so there'll be no issues there. So there is no quarterback controversy or anything of that nature. But I know one thing, we got to get better. This was poor. Just not the kind of outing that we like to see around here."
Stafford said Caldwell told him if he threw one more interception he'd be benched, so that's what happened. The Lions' quarterback (the entire offense, really) struggled against Arizona's tough defense Sunday and Caldwell put in backup Dan Orlovsky after the first drive of the second half.
Detroit finished the game with six turnovers, including four in its first six possessions. The Cardinals were up 35-7 by the time Stafford was benched, so it was unlikely he would mount any sort of comeback. The Cardinals eventually put in their backup, Drew Stanton, as well.
