Detroit Lions

The good news for the Lions is that quarterback Matthew Stafford did not suffer a serious left shoulder injury in Sunday's stunning 38-37 victory over Cleveland.

The bad news for the Lions -- and for a national television audience -- is that Stafford is unlikely to play in Thursday's Thanksgiving game against Green Bay if his soreness continues.

Daunte Culpepper is expected to start against the Packers.

"There's a chance that goes away in the next couple days, but structurally everything's good," coach Jim Schwartz said. "I don't think there's any lasting damage, but he's extremely sore, as you can expect. We'll see. You don't want to close the door on anything."

Stafford suffered an AC joint separation on the second-to-last play Sunday. The AC joint connects the collarbone to the shoulder blade. He returned to throw the winning touchdown with no time left.

A TV replay showed him running off the field, apparently saying, "It's out." But Schwartz said: "To me, a shoulder out means it's dislocated and it's hanging. His shoulder wasn't out. But when you do get that AC, it feels that kind of way."

Schwartz said most of the medical tests had come back and showed it was nothing he would label significant. Schwartz usually reserves that word for long-term injuries.

Asked if he could play Thanksgiving, Stafford told WJR-AM (760): "I don't know. We'll see. I'm in a pretty good amount of pain right now, but hopefully it'll start getting better."

—Coach Jim Schwartz fired back at Browns coach Eric Mangini, who implied the Lions faked injuries to slow down their no-huddle offense.

"He's way out of bounds on that," said Schwartz, who worked with Mangini in Cleveland and Baltimore. "That couldn't be further than the truth. There was no need to do that to slow the pace down, because the officials were doing a really good job of standing over the ball for us and them."

• Mangini also was upset about the pass-interference call on Hank Poteat that set up the winning touchdown. Poteat was flagged for pushing wide receiver Bryant Johnson out of bounds, giving the Lions the ball at the 1-yard line with no time left. Abram Elam also took down wide receiver Calvin Johnson during the play, as Brodney Pool intercepted a Hail Mary pass.

  "It's really not illegal contact when the guy's out of the pocket or scrambling," Mangini told reporters in Cleveland.

  Schwartz scoffed at that.

  "They don't know what they're talking about," Schwartz said. "You can quote me on that, because when the quarterback's out of the pocket, there can still be pass interference. There can't be illegal contact, but there can be pass interference. And when the ball's in the air, you can't make contact with the receivers. It's clear."

Player Notes

• QB Matthew Stafford suffered an AC joint separation Sunday against Cleveland. He probably won't play Thursday against Green Bay, but the injury should not keep him out long-term.

• WR Calvin Johnson was listed with hand and knee injuries Monday. Asked if Johnson would play against the Packers, coach Jim Schwartz said: "We'll see."

• S Ko Simpson has a knee injury. Coach Jim Schwartz said the Lions were determining whether it would end his season.

• CB Anthony Henry could see time at safety, at least in a backup role. Henry has taken some reps at safety since training camp in case of emergency. There was talk in the offseason he could move there depending on his performance.

• G Daniel Loper was listed with a back injury after Sunday's game. He likely will play Thursday.

Report Card Vs

. BROWNS

Passing Offense:

A—QB Matthew Stafford endeared himself to his teammates and fans, taking a wicked hit on the second-to-last play, returning from a bad left shoulder injury and throwing the winning touchdown pass with no time left. He threw five TDs, the most by an NFL rookie since 1937. He threw for 422 yards, the most ever for a Lions QB in a victory. (He also threw two interceptions, raising his season total to 14.) Five Lions caught a TD pass in a single game for the first time in team history. Kevin Smith became the first Lions running back since Barry Sanders in 1997 to have a 100-yard receiving day.

Rushing Offense:

D—The Lions didn't do much on the ground against the Browns. After falling behind 24-3 in the first quarter, they had to play catch-up. But even after they tied the game in the second quarter, 24-24, they struggled to establish the run. Smith averaged only 3.8 yards per carry, with 45 yards on 12 carries.

Pass Defense:

F—The Browns had scored only five offensive touchdowns in their past 15 games—none by a wide receiver or running back. But the Lions allowed quarterback Brady Quinn to throw three touchdowns in the first quarter and four for the game. Quinn posed no deep threat the previous week against Baltimore, but he burned the Lions with a 59-yarder to Mohamed Massaquoi and a 40-yarder to Chansi Stuckey. Quinn finished 21-for-33 for 304 yards. He did not throw an interception.

Rush Defense:

C—The Lions held the Browns to 3.3 yards per carry, but the Browns ground out 131 rushing yards. Jamal Lewis had 24 carries for 75 yards. Chris Jennings had 10 for 36. Joshua Cribbs wasn't able to do much from the Wildcat formation, with four carries for 16 yards.

Special Teams:

A—Special teams have hurt the Lions badly at times this season, but they played a crucial role Sunday. The Lions kept Cribbs from hurting them on returns, even though they gave up some field position to do it. They used short kickoffs to avoid him, and when he crept up, they booted the ball past him for a touchback. They kicked out of bounds, whatever they had to do. Cribbs fielded only three kickoffs and averaged 26 yards per return. He returned only one punt for 3 yards. The Lions kept a fake field goal from resulting in a touchdown. They didn't allow Shaun Rogers to block a kick, although he came close a couple of times. And they actually popped a decent kickoff return of their own, a 46-yarder by Aaron Brown.

Coaching:

C—The dramatic finish overshadowed the shaky start. Don't forget that the Lions fell behind by 21 points in the first quarter to an equally dreadful team, breaking down badly on defense and allowing big plays. Coach Jim Schwartz said miscommunication was the problem. After the final TD, the coaching staff showed a lack of poise. Tight ends coach Tim Lappano ran way onto the field and celebrated with Brandon Pettigrew, even though the Lions still had to kick the extra point. Lappano was lucky not to draw a flag, and he received a tongue-lashing from Schwartz. Stafford showed courage and that he might be the one who can lead the Lions to glory in the future, but the Lions still showed they have a long, long way to go.