EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis acknowledged Monday that while his sore right shoulder has improved, it could cause him to miss game time at some point this season.

"I think it's just looking at the pros and cons of it," Davis said of potentially missing time. "Obviously if it makes sense and then (the medical staff) give me reasons why, for the betterment of the team, then I guess we can go forward with it. But if doesn't make sense and I can still go out there and play and it makes sense for me to play, then I'll try to play."

Davis jammed his right shoulder getting caught on the rim on a missed dunk attempt in the Lakers' third game of the season, Oct. 27 against the Charlotte Hornets.

He has played in the Lakers' six games since then, but tweaked his shoulder again when blocking a Pascal Siakam shot in Sunday's 113-104 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

"It has gotten much better," Davis said. "When you're playing and you get hit, it gets reaggravated. You take a couple steps back. But it was nothing like how it happened the first time.

"We're moving in the right direction. It's getting better. There are certain plays where we take a couple of steps back. I wish it didn't. But it's basketball. When you're making plays like I make and do some of the things the way I do with how I play, naturally it's going to happen."

Davis said that last week that sitting out four to five days could help his shoulder heal but clarified Monday that he wasn't sharing a professional diagnosis.

"That's just me, just knowing," Davis said. "If any injury you obviously sit out a couple of days, you get a chance to heal. So, that was just me kind of being a doctor on myself."

Davis is averaging 26.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and a career-high 3.1 blocks per game as the Lakers have darted out to a 7-2 start to the season, good enough for a tie with the Denver Nuggets for the No. 1 record in the Western Conference.

The Lakers are officially listing Davis as probable for Tuesday's game against the upstart Phoenix Suns with a sore shoulder. Davis said he will see how his body responds to pregame work before determining if he will play.

"We have to see how it feels," Davis said. "It feels good right now but I'm going in with a mindset that I'll go through shootaround, see how I'll feel throughout the course of the day tomorrow and shoot before the game and if it feels good, then pencil me in."

Davis, 26, never played more than 75 games in a season in his first seven seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is cognizant of that injury history when he talks about wanting to play through his shoulder discomfort with the Lakers, rather than build in time for periodic rest when he is otherwise healthy.

"If I can play, I want to play," Davis said. "That's my thing. I've been injured enough where I've missed tons of games, so I've had plenty of load management games. So just being in a situation where with the team we have and the opportunity we have, I want to be on the floor as much as possible and contribute to our success."

While Davis seems eager to test his pain tolerance, the decision could be taken out of his hands. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said the Lakers' medical team is in control of whether Davis is available or not.

"We're looking at it very closely, for sure," Vogel said Monday. "We know the importance of Anthony to our system and our goals this year. So we're going to continue to look at it very closely day to day and make decisions at that point." In other Lakers injury news, point guard Rajon Rondo continues to inch closer to making his season debut after being sidelined with a sore right calf. Rondo went through full-court, 5-on-5 scrimmaging Monday for nearly 45 minutes according to Vogel, but remains questionable for the Suns game. Rondo initially pushed to return sooner, but once his injury was compared to the calf strain that Kevin Durant suffered in the playoffs that eventually led to Durant rupturing his Achilles tendon in the NBA Finals, Rondo adjusted his expectations.

"Once they said that, I kind of backed up as far as wanting to play right away," Rondo said. "I kind of took a little more time off and tried to listen to my body day to day ... Achilles was the first initial problem and I rested for a while then it kind of moved to my calf and that's when they told me about the KD calf strain so kind of backed off after that."

Rondo estimates he's received three MRI exams on his leg already, and several other ultrasound tests, and they've all led to him taking a cautious approach to his return.

"This is a lower extremity, something you don't want to mess around with," he said. "It can lead to other things. I'm trying to be smart and be conscious of what they're telling me. Been a little stubborn, but at the same time, (Rondo and the medical staff are) on the same page as far as where I need to be and when I need to return."

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez capped a meteoric rise by becoming the franchise's third Rookie of the Year winner and second since the club moved to the American League.

Alvarez was a unanimous selection of the award's 30 voters. Baltimore Orioles pitcher John Means finished second, with Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe third, White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez fourth and Blue Jays second baseman Cavan Biggio fifth.

Alvarez, 22, began this past season with Triple-A Round Rock after entering the year ranked as the 34th-best prospect by Baseball America and Houston's eighth-best prospect by ESPN's Keith Law. He provided an early glimpse of things to come by hitting three homers for Round Rock in his second game of the season. By the end of April, Alvarez had mashed 12 homers, hit .354 and driven in 30 runs in just 22 games, spurring calls for a promotion to the big league club.

That call finally came in early June. In his big league debut against the Baltimore Orioles on June 9, Alvarez homered off of Dylan Bundy. He never stopped hitting, finishing with 27 home runs in 87 games, tying the mark for most home runs by a rookie who played in 100 games or fewer. He served as Houston's designated hitter in 74 of his 87 outings and helped the Astros win the AL pennant.

Across two levels this season, Alvarez hit .324 with a .690 slugging percentage, 50 home runs and 149 RBIs in 143 games. His 1.067 OPS in the majors was the highest ever for a rookie with at least 350 plate appearances.

Alvarez's consistency was remarkable: He had an OPS of 1.140 at home and .985 away, 1.083 against righties and 1.038 against lefties and at least .999 in each of the four months in which he appeared in the majors.

"The humility he has in handling success at this level, and the coverage that he's getting and all the attention, he's just been very humble," Astros manager AJ Hinch told ESPN during the season. "He's also hungry to learn. He's a quiet man by nature, and his demeanor is very low-key. But he's always in tune with other players and other people and the information."

Hinch also tweeted congratulations to Alvarez after he was announced as the winner on Monday.

Congrats Yordan Alvarez on AL ROY! Incredible rookie season and a well deserved honor. Dominant impact on the field and as a teammate.......very proud of how he handled success and how he became a mainstay in our line-up. Can't wait to see him build off this season. #astros pic.twitter.com/C0t3cHRVIW

— AJ Hinch (@ajhinch) November 11, 2019

An imposing 6-foot-5, Alvarez hit a 474-foot homer off Texas' Mike Minor on July 19. In early September, he homered into the third deck at Minute Maid Park, a shot so prodigious that the Astros wrapped the seat in vinyl to commemorate it.

After going just 1-for-22 during Houston's six-game win over the Yankees in the AL Championship Series, Alvarez rebounded to hit .412 with a home run during the Astros' seven-game loss to the Washington Nationals in the World Series.

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Alvarez out of Las Tunas, Cuba, on June 15, 2016. The Astros acquired him six weeks later in exchange for reliever Josh Fields. As Alvarez began to make his way through the Houston organization, his offensive reputation began to spread through one of baseball's most bountiful farm systems.

"When he was brought over to the States, we started to hear some chatter from the backfields that, at one point, I think he hit a car with one of his home runs," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told ESPN this season. "It was one of those things where if you're around and you have a half day to go watch the back field, find this guy and watch him hit. Because it's pretty special. It snowballed from there."

Shortstop Carlos Correa was the Astros' last AL Rookie of the Year winner, taking the honors in 2015. The only other Rookie of the Year recipient in franchise history was Hall of Fame first baseman Jeff Bagwell, who won the award in 1991, when the Astros were in the National League.

Means, 26, was a rare bright spot for an Orioles team that lost 108 games. He led Baltimore in wins (12) and ERA (3.60) while earning a spot on the AL All-Star team. An 11th-round pick by the Orioles in 2014 out of West Virginia, Means led Baltimore with 4.6 wins above replacement.

Lowe, 25, retained rookie eligibility after breaking in with the Rays in 2018 by hitting six homers over 43 games. This season he was one of the AL's top second baseman for over half the season and earned his first All-Star Game berth. He was just the fourth rookie in Tampa Bay history to make an All-Star roster.

Lowe hit .270 with 17 homers over 82 games but missed 2 1/2 months because of lower-body injuries. He returned shortly before the end of the regular season, then went 4-for-16 with a home run during the Rays' AL Division Series loss to Houston. Before the season, Lowe inked a six-year, $24 million extension with Tampa Bay.

Pete Alonso began the 2019 season fighting just to make the New York Mets' Opening Day roster. He ends it as the National League Rookie of the Year after slugging a rookie record 53 home runs, driving in 120 runs and becoming a cult hero for Mets fans for his energy and enthusiasm and one memorable bare-chested postgame interview.

Alonso was a near unanimous selection of the award's 30 voters, getting 29 first-place votes. Braves starter Mike Soroka received the other first-place vote and finished second, with Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. finishing third.

Soroka posted a 2.68 ERA and won 13 games as the ace of the division-winning Braves. Tatis slashed .317/.379/.590 and dazzled fans with his defensive plays in the infield, but an injury ended his season at 84 games.

Alonso's 53 home runs broke Aaron Judge's rookie record of 52 set in 2017, as Alonso became the sixth Rookie of the Year in Mets history, the first since Jacob deGrom in 2014. He joins Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Chris Davis as the only active players with 50 home runs in a season and he's just the 30th player in major league history to reach that mark. His 120 RBIs are the seventh most for a rookie in major league history and the most since Albert Pujols had 130 in 2001.

Alonso's storybook season was no sure thing back in spring training, however. Even after leading the minors with 39 home runs in 2018, the Mets had a glut of infielders with Robinson Cano, Jed Lowrie, Todd Frazier and Dominic Smith all in the mix at first, second and third base along with Alonso. There were also concerns about Alonso's defense, and many teams start their top prospects in Triple-A for a couple weeks to manipulate the player's service time.

Alonso, however, earned a roster spot after hitting .352 with four home runs in spring training. It also helped that Lowrie and Frazier began the season on the injured list. Alonso, a second-round pick in 2016 out of the University of Florida, ran with the opportunity, hitting .378 with six home runs in his first 12 games. He finished April with nine home runs, bashed 10 more in May and entered the All-Star break with 30 home runs.

In Cleveland, he took home the $1 million prize for winning the Home Run Derby, upstaging fellow rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the final round with a 23-22 victory after Guerrero had bashed 40 home runs in the semifinals.

"It's survive and advance," Alonso said after his win. "You've got to go in with kind of a killer instinct. It doesn't matter how many you hit; you just need to have one more than the guy you're facing."

Alonso also won over fans when he pledged 5% of his winnings to the Wounded Warrior Project and another 5% to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Along the way, Alonso became a fan favorite, not just for his prodigious home runs -- he hit 15 of at least 430 feet -- but also for his infectious joy and his ability to win over New Yorkers. When the Mets began surging back into the playoff race in early August, he issued a not-safe-for-work rallying cry playing off the "Let's go Mets!" chant. After a walk-off bases-loaded walk beat the Phillies on Sept. 6, Mets teammates ripped off Alonso's jersey and he conducted interviews on SNY and MLB Network bare-chested.

"I'm not taking my shirt off for this one,'' Alonso joked on MLB Network's broadcast while accepting the award.

He wore custom-made cleats on Sept. 11 to honor the victims of 9/11, even ordering a pair for each of his teammates. "For me, I just come from a place where I want to show support, not just for the victims but their families as well, because no one really knows how deep those emotional scars can be," Alonso said at the time.

He smashed his 42nd home run on Aug. 27, breaking the Mets' team record shared by Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley. With three games remaining in the regular season, Alonso was one homer away from tying Judge. He matched him with a home run at home against the Braves in Game 160 and then surpassed Judge in Game 161 with a third-inning home run off Mike Foltynewicz, a towering shot to right-center. Alonso raised both arms over his head in triumph, received hugs from teammates and a standing ovation from the crowd, and then he wiped tears from his eyes while playing first base the following inning.

"To me, it just means so much," Alonso said after the game. "I didn't know I was going to be overcome with all that emotion. At that point, I might as well just let it out."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Court of Arbitration for Sport says hearing is unlikely to take place before March 2020

Former Nike Oregon Project head coach Alberto Salazar and Dr Jeffrey Brown have both appealed their four-year bans for doping violations, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has said.

The court added that those appeals are unlikely to be heard before March 2020.

Last month the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced the sanctions handed to Salazar and Brown “for orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct” while working with the Nike Oregon Project (NOP).

Salazar has coached a number of top athletes, including Britain’s Mo Farah.

The American has denied any wrongdoing, while there is no suggestion that Farah has violated any rules.

In a release published on Monday, the CAS said it has “registered the appeals filed by Mr. Alberto Salazar and Dr. Jeffrey Brown against the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in relation to the decisions rendered by the American Arbitration Association, North American Court of Arbitration for Sport Panel on 30 September 2019 and 7 October 2019, respectively, in which they were found to have committed anti-doping rule violations and sanctioned with a four-year period of ineligibility.”

The release added: “Two CAS arbitration procedures have been opened. The parties have requested additional time to file their written submissions and evidence. Accordingly, at this stage, it appears that the hearings in these two matters are unlikely to take place before March 2020.”

Meanwhile, Salazar has hit back at Mary Cain’s recent allegations against him by saying the athlete’s father, who is a doctor, was always in the loop when it came to medications.

“Mary’s father is a medical doctor,” Salazar told The Oregonian newspaper, “and both of her parents were deeply involved in her training, competition and health throughout the period she was coached by me. For example, Mary’s father consulted on medications and supplements Mary used during her time at the NOP.”

In a powerful New York Times video, American runner Cain launched a stinging criticism of Salazar and the NOP, saying: “I was emotionally and physically abused by a system designed by Alberto and endorsed by Nike.”

In his response, Salazar added: “Neither of her parents, nor Mary, raised any of the issues that she now suggests occurred while I was coaching her. To be clear, I never encouraged her, or worse yet, shamed her, to maintain an unhealthy weight.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Joao Barbosa knows what it feels like to drive a Corvette Daytona Prototype to victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, which he did in 2014 alongside Action Express Racing co-drivers Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais.

Barbosa and Eric Curran both know what it’s like to drive Corvette DPs to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship titles. Barbosa did it alongside Fittipaldi in 2014 and 2015, while Curran won the 2016 title with Dane Cameron as his co-driver.

That’s why both drivers are excited for this weekend’s Classic 24 Hour At Daytona Presented by IMSA. They’re going to get the chance to relive positive memories from their not-too-distant past in Corvette DPs this weekend.

“We won the Daytona 24 with a similar car,” said Barbosa, who is teaming up with JC France and Tim Jernum this weekend. “It’s not exactly the same car but was a very similar car.”

The feelings are similar for Curran, who will drive a Corvette DP prepared by Hudson Historics this week. Curran said the team is bringing five Corvette DPs to Daytona this week, one still wearing the same Whelen Engineering livery that he and Cameron drove to the 2016 title.

“It’s fun to kind of go back in time a few years and go back to Daytona Speedway in a few of my old Daytona Prototype Corvettes that I raced for years around that track in the past,” Curran said. “So, it’s a bit of a different animal than the Cadillac DPi, but still an exciting race car to race.”

The unique 24-hour race organized by Historic Sportscar Racing, LLC (HSR) brings a variety of different sports cars onto the legendary, 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway circuit, some of which never raced in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

That’s obviously not the case for the Corvette DPs, which were built primarily with the Rolex 24 in mind.

“That car feels really at home at Daytona,” Barbosa said. “It’s a great car. We developed that car. When the new era of the Corvette DPs came along, we developed the car a lot at Daytona with the downforce and the tunnels and everything and the different aero package. It’s a car that’s suited for Daytona and it’s still fast. It’s just a great overall fun car to drive around Daytona.”

Fun is the name of the game this weekend. While these Corvette DPs could likely compete for 24 consecutive hours as they used to, this weekend they only will need to run four, one-hour races in a 24-hour period beginning at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday.

There are seven different run groups participating in the Classic 24. The DPs are part of Group F, which runs at 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 12 a.m., 6 a.m. and 12 p.m.

“You’re not having to drive for four or five different stints, three or four hours apiece, that’s for sure,” Curran said. “But it’s still an exciting weekend. I mean, it’s cool the way that they have it staged throughout and all the different classes and cars. Yes, it’s much lower key than the true Daytona 24, but still exciting nonetheless.”

And if Hudson Historics is looking for any late-night or early-morning volunteers to drive the car, they won’t have far to look. Curran is ready and willing.

“Why not?” he said. “It gives a little bit of memory of what the true Daytona 24 is all about. I don’t have any problem. I know that there’s some early A.M. shifts to do and it’s not problem. I mean, it’s again much lower key than what you’re actually doing in the 24. I have no issue. Whatever stints they sign me up for are the ones I’ll do. It’s a little bit of preparation for the [Rolex] 24 [in January], so it’s exciting.”

PLACERVILLE, Calif. – After locking up the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series title this past weekend, Brad Sweet is set to return to Placerville Speedway for the Hangtown 100 on Nov. 19-20.

Sweet, who resides in Placerville during his off time, claimed 16 victories en route to his initial World of Outlaws championship this season. “The Big Cat” wrapped up the title Saturday by just four points over 10-time Outlaw champion Donny Schatz.

At the inaugural Elk Grove Ford Hangtown 100 in Placerville next week, Sweet will pilot the Willie Kahne-owned, Factory Kahne-sponsored No. 67z machine with the NOS Energy Drink USAC National and USAC Western States Midgets.

The 33-year-old has captured 11 career wins with the USAC National Midget Series and hopes to add on at the upcoming doubleheader, which showcases a purse of more than $130,000.

Sweet is scheduled to be a part of the pre-race autograph session at the Hangtown 100 that also features Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chad Boat, Tyler Courtney, Logan Seavey, Justin Grant, Tanner Thorson, Rico Abreu, Shane Golobic, Zeb Wise and others.

“We are excited to have Brad Sweet compete at the inaugural Hangtown 100 in Placerville,” said Elk Grove Ford President Matt Wood. “Having a driver that just wrapped up the World of Outlaws championship last weekend certainly adds even more star power to the event. We look forward to having Brad as a part of our pre-race autograph session as well. The weather is looking fantastic, so we encourage everyone to reserve their seats today.”

In order to accommodate walk up sales at the Hangtown 100, online ticketing for the event will end on Nov. 15 at midnight. After that, tickets will be available at the gate on race day.

A $10 All Access upgrade is also available that allows fans pit area access, but maintains their seats in the grandstands. Seating in the pits is limited.

Following the action on opening night, there will be a post-race party in the concession area with burritos, drinks and music. All fans and racers are encouraged to attend.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The NHL suspended Columbus forward Nick Foligno for three games for a hit that leveled Colorado Avalanche forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

The Department of Player Safety announced the penalty for the Blue Jackets' captain on Monday.

Foligno dropped Bellemare with the open-ice hit with his elbow to Bellemare's jaw at 17:15 of the second period Saturday. Foligno said he didn't intend to hurt Bellemare and "felt sick to my stomach when I saw that I hit him in the head."

Foligno was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for charging.

He said he traded text messages with Bellemare after the game to make sure he was OK.

The NHL says the suspension will cost Foligno $88,709.67.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says he feels no extra pressure to deliver the team's first Club World Cup title next month but expects an intense tournament in Qatar amidst a busy run of fixtures across all competitions.

Liverpool enter the tournament at the semifinal stage and face a second-round winner on Dec. 18 and the German believes the European champions could be pushed hard by unfamiliar opponents in the seven-team competition.

"I'm not someone who has to be the first on the moon or the first winning the World Cup with Liverpool, but when we're there we'll try with all we have," Klopp told the FIFA website.

"So far, I don't feel any pressure. I see it as an absolute opportunity... the interesting and difficult part is that we'll be playing against teams from other continents, which doesn't happen that often... it'll be a tough one for sure."

The teams involved in the Dec. 11-21 tournament are CONCACAF champions Monterrey of Mexico; Qatar champions Al Sadd; Oceania title holders Hienghene Sport of New Caledonia; African champions Esperance of Tunisia; the eventual South American champions and the Asian Champions League winners.

"We'll prepare for it as we would usually and we'll see if it's right or wrong... I don't get to see a lot of Brazilian, Argentinian, Mexican or Arabic football... so I don't know too much about them... It'll be really intense," added Klopp.

Liverpool outclassed Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Champions League final in June to claim their sixth European Cup and followed that by beating Europa League winners Chelsea 5-4 on penalties to lift the UEFA Super Cup.

Klopp's side have an eight-point lead atop the Premier League as they target a first English title in 30 years and can add another trophy to their cabinet before the year ends.

"Unfortunately, we won't round off 2019 in that moment [with the Club World Cup trophy] because there will be games to come before the year ends," said Klopp, whose side play 12 games across four competitions between Nov. 23 and Jan. 2.

Such is the fixture crunch that Liverpool could field two different squads in the League Cup quarter-final on Dec. 17 and Club World Cup the following day due to a lack of available dates to postpone the domestic game.

Klopp said he would not take the Club World Cup for granted.

"The only reason for us to go there is for the opportunity to win it and that's what we'll try... the boys want to play it so it'll be interesting... it'll feel big for us, 100%."

Christian Pulisic and Michael Bradley have both been ruled out of the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League matches against Canada and Cuba.

U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter named his 23-man roster on Monday, and while initially there was some hope that Pulisic might still take part, the hip injury he picked up in Chelsea's 2-0 win over Crystal Palace has prevented him from participating. Bradley sustained an ankle injury playing for Toronto in Sunday's MLS Cup final loss to the Seattle Sounders, thus ruling him out.

"Christian is officially at this stage ruled out" Berhalter told reporters on Monday. "We just got that information. This was a collaborative decision with the club, looking after the best interest of the player. These decisions are always difficult because this group and the coaching staff want nothing more than to have Christian here, but it was a risk we weren't willing to take at this time."

The U.S. will play Canada at Orlando's Exploria Stadium this Friday (live at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2), with the match against Cuba set to take place in George Town, Cayman Islands four days later. The U.S. must win both games while making up a three-goal differential on Canada in order to progress to the semifinal round of the competition.

Earlier, Berhalter said in a press release: "Advancing to the knockout phase is our priority, and that starts by getting a win against Canada. We will be ready to play, the team is looking forward to competing in front of our fans. Orlando has been a great venue for the national team, and the support of our fans makes a big difference."

The loss of the in-form Pulisic -- who has scored five goals in his last three league matches -- cuts especially deep given the overall dearth of creativity in the squad. It will be up to the likes of Weston McKennie, Sebastian Lletget, Paul Arriola and Josh Sargent to pick up the slack.

The injuries come on the heels of Fortuna Dusseldorf goalkeeper Zack Steffen having to pull out of the squad due to knee tendonitis.

The Seattle Sounders MLS Cup-winning duo of Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris is included while Real Salt Lake winger Corey Baird and Minnesota United defender Chase Gaspar have departed camp.

Ajax defender Sergino Dest, a dual national who recently pledged his international future to the U.S., is also in the squad.

Full U.S. Roster:

Goalkeepers (3): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC), Sean Johnson (New York City FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution)

Defenders (9): John Brooks (Wolfsburg), Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas), Sergino Dest (Ajax), Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes), Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls), Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact), Tim Ream (Fulham), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United), Walker Zimmerman (LAFC)

Midfielders (6): Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy), Weston McKennie (Schalke), Alfredo Morales (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC), Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes)

Forwards (5): Paul Arriola (D.C. United), Tyler Boyd (Besiktas), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen), Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC)

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said Monday he wanted to be out there Sunday but ultimately did what he felt was best for the team in sitting against the Chicago Bears, snapping his 136-game start streak.

"Ultimately, I think I made the right decision," Stafford said.

He's once again dealing with a back injury, although he stressed it is a different injury than last season, one he played through. Lions coach Matt Patricia classified him as day-to-day, week-to-week earlier Monday.

Stafford did say, though, he has no interest in shutting it down for the season.

"That's not my thinking at the moment," Stafford said. "My thinking is to try and be out there as soon as I possibly can to help us win."

Stafford said a bunch of people had input into whether or not he would start -- or play -- in the Lions' 20-13 loss to the Bears. At one point he considered dressing to try and be available if the team needed him to hand off at the end or hold for an extra point, anything he could do to help.

The NFL is looking into how the Lions handled the reporting of Stafford's back injury in the week leading up to Sunday's game, including the designation of Stafford as questionable before he was ruled out, a source said.

The 31-year-old quarterback said he knew Saturday he wouldn't start the game but thought he could still dress.

"Obviously I want to be out there with the guys," Stafford said. "I think it was the right decision, a collective decision. But it's tough. I love playing this game.

"Work really hard to try and be out there for my teammates but I wasn't able to do it so a tough pill to swallow. I thought Jeff did a great job, played great and I think the guys rallied around him, which is good."

Stafford has thrown for 2,499 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. In Week 7, he became the fastest quarterback in league history to pass for 40,000 yards.