Following up on this week's Team Notes. ... Matthew Stafford said earlier this week that he’s doing “everything I possibly can to get out there as fast as I can” after missing the last two games with a back injury, but he’s not ready to get on the field yet.

Stafford did not practice Wednesday as the Lions start on-field preparations for Sunday’s trip to Washington.

There was a report last weekend that Stafford could miss the rest of the season, but the quarterback said that no one has told him that and added that no firm timeline is in place for how long it will take for the injury to heal. Given the Lions’ dwindling playoff chances, it’s worth wondering if there’s much to gain from Stafford returning this season but no one from the team is talking about shutting him down at this point.

Stafford, though, won’t hear of it.

“Because this is what I do,” Stafford said Wednesday, via Tim Twentyman of the team website. “I understand your question, but this is what I love to do. I love playing football. I appreciate all the hard work that all the guys in this locker room and in this organization put into going out there and trying to win games on Sunday and I love being a part of that.”

Stafford had started 136 games in a row before sitting out the past two. He practiced the week after his injury but a scan on his back the Friday before the Bears game showed the extent of the injury.

Stafford said he doesn’t care whether it’s Week 12 or Week 17, he wants to return this season. He added that no one in the organization has talked about shutting him down for the year.

“It’s tough for me to sit there without the pads on and not be able to impact the game on the field the way I’m used to doing,” Stafford said. “That’s driving me to get back out there, and whenever we all deem it’s the right time for me to get back out there, I’ll be out there.”

Jeff Driskel has started in Stafford’s place the last two weeks and it looks like he’ll make another start this weekend.

Also of interest. ... The Lions are now without a fullback, but added one of their draft picks back to the active roster.

The team announced that fullback Nick Bawden had been placed on injured reserve, and that rookie defensive end Austin Bryant had been activated from IR.

Bawden left last week’s loss to the Cowboys with a knee injury.