MKRob Sports

Daunte Culpepper appears likely to start at quarterback for the Lions on Sunday against Pittsburgh. Matthew Stafford did not practice again today because of a right knee injury and said he hasn’t been running.

“They really haven’t had me doing too much,” Stafford said. “They’re just trying to get the swelling out and all that.”

Coach Jim Schwartz declined to give an update on Stafford, saying only that the official injury report would be available at 4 p.m., when the NFL requires teams to list players’ participation in practice.

Culpepper declined to talk to reporters, as he generally has all year.

“I have nothing to say until something changes from my perspective,” Culpepper said.

Stafford spoke to reporters but kept his cards close to the vest. He did not rule out playing Sunday.

Asked if he would have enough preparation to play the Super Bowl champions if he returned to practice Friday, he said: “We’ll see. Try to do a bunch of work off the field and get as ready as you can.”

Stafford said he was “really not sure” about the nature of his injury, which is reportedly a dislocated – or partially dislocated – kneecap. But he said he did not need surgery.

“Obviously any time you tweak something, it’s scary – an ankle, a knee, a shoulder, whatever it is,” Stafford said. “Just wanted to make sure that everything’s structurally all right, and it was. So that was a good thing.”

Stafford said he was not worried about a chronic condition in the knee. He suffered a dislocated kneecap before his senior season in high school.

Asked if this was the same injury, he said: “No. I had, like, a sprained MCL and a bunch of other stuff in high school.”

Stafford said he had been staying late and watching extra film to get as many mental reps as possible.

Asked to rate his health with a percentage, he said: “I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you.”