The Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics both clinched playoff berths as the American League wild cards on Friday, filling out the 10-team field for the postseason and leaving the Cleveland Indians on the outside looking in.

The A's locked up their spot first when the Indians lost 8-2 on the road to the Nationals, before the Rays joined Oakland with a 6-2 victory at Toronto.

They will face each other in the AL wild-card game Wednesday, though the right to host the game is still up for grabs this weekend. Oakland (96-63) leads Tampa Bay (96-64) by a half-game ahead of the Athletics' game in Seattle later Friday night. If the teams are tied at the end of Sunday's slate, the A's would be the home team after winning the season series 4-3.

"This is a small step in the right direction," Rays outfielder Tommy Pham said. "Oakland is a tough team. We have to get through them first. We're going to probably have to get through Houston next. It's a long road ahead of us, but it's a step in the right direction."

The wild-card winner will indeed face the Astros in the division series, after Houston (105-55) secured home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs with a 4-0 win over the Angels. The New York Yankees will host the Minnesota Twins to open the other ALDS.

The Rays return to the postseason for the first time since 2013, and they did it despite having the smallest Opening Day payroll in baseball at $62.1 million -- and the second-lowest home attendance at slightly under 15,000 fans per game.

They have the club's most victories since 2010 and can still equal the team record of 97 set in 2008, when they won the American League pennant.

"This organization has created a very winning culture, and there's been a little bit of a drought," fifth-year manager Kevin Cash said. "We get to hang another banner, we want to hang some more. Really happy to be a part of it."

Oakland will play in October for the second consecutive year, after falling to the Yankees in last season's wild-card game despite winning 97 games in the regular season.

A's manager Bob Melvin will pass Tony La Russa for the second-most postseason appearances in franchise history, behind only Hall of Famer Connie Mack, who took the Philadelphia A's to eight World Series between 1905 and 1931.

The Indians (93-67) failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015, having won the AL Central each of the past three years. But their third consecutive loss Friday, following two defeats to the Chicago White Sox this week, sealed their fate this season.

Asked what he could have differently with his team struggling down the stretch, manager Terry Francona said, "Whatever you can do, I didn't do it right.

"You try to be there for guys not just through the good times, but when it's difficult. When I say we win and lose together, I actually mean it. They're not just our guys when they play great. When it's hard like tonight, it's us. We'll hurt together."

Cleveland is only the sixth team with at least 93 wins to miss the playoffs since the introduction of the wild card in 1994, and the first since the franchise also won 93 games but fell short in 2005.

"We did the best we could, and sometimes things happen, and you've got to accept that and move on,'' outfielder Oscar Mercado said. "Obviously, we're not going to say we're content, because the ultimate goal here is to win and be in the playoffs. But we just have to accept it and understand that we did the best we could and be able to sleep at night knowing that.''

Kenyan takes first major title with the slowest ever winning time at a world championships, while large numbers of runners fail to finish

Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich became the first winner of the 2019 IAAF World Championships but there seemed little cause for celebration at the women’s marathon as some of the fears which had surrounded the staging of the event in Doha were well and truly realised.

Despite starting at 11:59pm in a bid to provide cooler conditions, several athletes, including British hopeful Charlotte Purdue, succumbed and were forced to stop running after the 68-strong field of starters was met with an air temperature of 32.7 degrees centigrade and humidity levels of 73.3% as they set off on a journey which many of them were unable to finish.

A third of the field failed to cover the multi-lap course along the Corniche in the Qatari capital and there will be major concerns now over the race walking and men’s marathon events due to take place over the coming days.

Chepngetich, the third-fastest female marathon runner in history after clocking 2:17:08 in Dubai back in January, took victory in a time of 2:32:42, which replaces Catherine Ndereba’s 2:30:37 from 2007 in Osaka as the slowest ever winning women’s marathon time at a world championships.

Defending champion Rose Chelimo of Bahrain claimed silver 63 seconds back in 2:33:46 and Namibia’s Commonwealth champion Helalia Johannes was third in 2:34:15. In a race at which a top 10 finish brings with it an Olympic qualifying place, only the top seven broke the 2:40 mark.

Chepngetich, who had broken away with the other medallists, as well as two-time winner Edna Kiplagat, made her decisive move not long after passing the 35km mark in 2:07:03 and began to create daylight between herself and her pursuers.

Her lead was 30 seconds as she entered the closing two kilometres and she only pulled away further, while Kiplagat’s bid for a medal at the age of 39 faltered.

European 10,000m champion Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, who had led the field through 5km in 18:21, faded during the second half of the race and was among the many athletes not to finish.

Purdue withdrew just after the start of the third loop of six, while Tish Jones had withdrawn through injury earlier in the day and did not start.

Check out the dedicated Doha 2019 section on our website here.

CONCORD, N.C. – William Byron improved his odds of advancing to the second round of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs by winning the pole Friday for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Byron, who enters Sunday’s playoff cutoff race with a slim two-point edge over teammate Alex Bowman in the battle for the final spot in the second round of the playoffs, secured his fifth pole of the year with an 80.932-second lap in the second round of qualifying around the 2.28-mile circuit.

The guys did a great job with this car and it really takes every corner around this race track to get a pole,” Byron said. “I knew we could qualify top-five, but I really wanted the pole and really kind of went out there and got it.

“So, I’m really proud of this UniFirst team, it’s going to be great to start up front.”

Byron won’t have much of a gap to Bowman, who will join him on the front row for Sunday’s race after turning an 81.026-second lap in his No. 88 Chevrolet.

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano qualified third, followed by seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson and another playoff bubble driver, Clint Bowyer.

Playoff drivers make up the next four positions in the starting order, with Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr. and defending ROVAL winner Ryan Blaney starting sixth through ninth.

Paul Menard will start 10th, followed by playoff driver Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher.

Other playoff drivers in the starting order include Erik Jones in 15th, Kyle Busch in 17th, Chase Elliott in 19th, Kurt Busch in 23rd, Ryan Newman in 24th and Denny Hamlin in 28th.

Bank of America ROVAL 400 Starting Lineup

1. William Byron
2. Alex Bowman
3. Joey Logano
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Kyle Larson
8. Martin Truex Jr.
9. Ryan Blaney
10. Paul Menard
11. Brad Keselowski
12. Chris Buescher
13. Daniel Suarez
14. Ryan Preece
15. Erik Jones
16. Aric Almirola
17. Kyle Busch
18. Matt DiBenedetto
19. Chase Elliott
20. Daniel Hemric
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
22. Michael McDowell
23. Kurt Busch
24. Ryan Newman
25. Bubba Wallace
26. Corey LaJoie
27. David Ragan
28. Denny Hamlin
29. Ty Dillon
30. Austin Dillon
31. Cody Ware
32. Landon Cassill
33. Timmy Hill
34. Josh Bilicki
35. Garrett Smithley
36. Matt Tifft
37. Ross Chastain
38. Reed Sorenson
39. Joe Nemechek
40. Parker Kligerman

CONCORD, N.C. – Josef Newgarden got to have a little bit of fun Friday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The newly crowned NTT IndyCar Series champion got to turn a handful of exhibition laps around Charlotte Motor Speedway’s 2.28-mile ROVAL configuration in his Team Penske Chevrolet shortly after Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying.

Newgarden completed six full laps at speed, turning laps unofficially 14 seconds faster than that the lap posted by Bank of America ROVAL 400 polesitter William Byron during NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Friday afternoon.

RELATED: Could IndyCar Racing Return To Charlotte?

“It honestly felt really good. I didn’t know what it was going to feel like,” Newgarden said after climbing out of his car in Charlotte Motor Speedway’s victory lane in front of a mass of media members. “Everything was pretty smooth for the most part.”

Newgarden, a native of Tennessee, said prior to turning his laps he was curious how the Firestone tires on his car would react to the Goodyear rubber laid down on the track by the NASCAR teams throughout Friday.

“I was most interested in the tire difference,” Newgarden said. “When you run a weekend with multiple series that have different tire makes and different cars, normally when you go out after another session you have to clean the track up. I was only one car, so I can’t clean the track for myself really fast.

“I thought there was really no issue having two different tire makes and that was my big concern going into it. It was interesting to feel that. It felt good. It wasn’t bad. The banking was really neat just because the wheel was really, really heavy. We don’t have power steering in these vehicles so it was pretty loaded up for a long period of time through the banking.”

Newgarden’s laps on Friday were the first laps turned by an Indy car at Charlotte Motor Speedway since a tragic accident in the 1999 VisionAire 500K. Three spectators were killed when debris from a crash flew into the stands. The remainder of the race, which was run on the 1.5-mile oval, was canceled and Indy cars haven’t been back to Charlotte Motor Speedway since.

At least, not until Friday when Newgarden turned his exhibition laps.

“It was a blast. The whole point of this really was to celebrate with Pennzoil. It’s been such a great year for them,” Newgarden said. “We won the 500 together as a team (with Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud). Joey (Logano) won his championship last year and we’re kind of still celebrating that and he’s still the champ. And we just got another championship on the IndyCar side.

“It’s really been a cool opportunity. It all originated just to showcase the partnership and the performance that they give us. I think it ended up turning into a really good discussion point.”

CONCORD, N.C. – Josef Newgarden’s exhibition laps aboard his Team Penske Chevrolet Indy car Friday on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL had a lot of people talking.

The question being asked was could this be a precursor to a full-fledged NTT IndyCar Series race on the 2.28-mile ROVAL configuration?

IndyCar President Jay Frye was on hand for Friday’s exhibition laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway and said that an NTT IndyCar Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway was not out of the question in the future.

RELATED: Newgarden Turns Laps On Charlotte’s ROVAL

“I don’t think there are any hurdles necessarily, just schedules, timing, how it all works,” Frye said. “Obviously our season ended last week (at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca) so that’s something you would look at down the road (and) how it would fit possibly.”

It’s been more than 20 years since an Indy car last turned laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway in any capacity. The last time an Indy car was on track at Charlotte Motor Speedway was in 1999, when three spectators were killed when debris from a crash flew into the stands.

Newgarden’s laps around the ROVAL were unofficially 14 seconds faster than that of William Byron, who earlier in the afternoon won the pole for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

While the scheduling of a potential IndyCar Series return to Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same weekend as a NASCAR event is an option, Frye said that they didn’t necessarily have to share the billing.

“Not necessarily. It doesn’t have to be like that,” Frye said when asked about a NASCAR-IndyCar doubleheader on the ROVAL. “Obviously there has been talk about a doubleheader and things like that, so we’re certainly open to that.

“Today was obviously a thing that Shell and Pennzoil put together. It was cool to see how the car reacted. It was really, actually, cool to see the fans perspective and the teams perspective down watching (in the garage), the Cup teams. So it was fun.”

Frye said that even before Newgarden’s exhibition run was announced, he and members of the IndyCar executive team had planned to come to Charlotte to check out the ROVAL. When Newgarden’s exhibition laps were announced by Team Penske, it created an even bigger opportunity for Frye to check out what an Indy car could do around the ROVAL.

“We were going to come down and check it out,” Frye said. “We had not been to see the facility when it was in this configuration. Then this opportunity came into play so obviously today would be the day to come check it out. Our guys are here and a car was on the track.”

With the schedule for the NTT IndyCar Series already set for 2020, a return to Charlotte isn’t likely until at least 2021. Frye wouldn’t discount the possibility of bringing the series back to Charlotte, saying that anything was possible.

“Obviously today seemed like it was pretty successful,” Frye said. “So who knows.”

NAPA, Calif. – After struggling in the first round of a new season, an optimistic Phil Mickelson expected to bounce back with a round of “6 or 7 under” at the Safeway Open. And through nine holes, he was on track to do just that.

Mickelson got off to a fast start on a chilly morning at Silverado Resort and Spa, rolling in four birdies over his first seven holes. But he made just one more the rest of the way, signing for a 3-under 69 that left him at even par for the week and outside the projected cut line.

Mickelson’s woes largely traced back to a quadruple-bogey 9 on the par-5 fifth hole during the opening round, when he put two straight approach shots out of bounds, and it became a focal point following his fourth missed cut in his last seven starts.

“The way I see it, there were eight par-5s and I’ve got to play those in 4 to 6 under par to have a chance to win. I played them in 4 over, and I’m at even par and I’m going to miss the cut,” Mickelson said. “So there’s eight to 10 shots right there, simply on the par-5s. That identifies and shows me where I need to work. It tells me that some areas are OK, but that’s the area that I’ve got to improve on.”

Mickelson was making his first start since the BMW Championship more than a month ago, and despite speaking early in the week about increased focus and an improved attitude he admitted that his game remained “rusty.”

“I thought that there were some areas that were pretty good, and some areas that I need to work on. I wasn’t sharp, I hadn’t played in six weeks,” Mickelson said. “I need to play more golf, because the more I play, the sharper I’ll get.”

While his time in Napa was cut short, Mickelson has more competitive rounds in his near future. He’ll head to Las Vegas next week for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open followed by a start two weeks later at the CJ Cup in South Korea, his last expected tournament before U.S. captain Tiger Woods makes his four selections for the upcoming Presidents Cup.

NAPA, Calif. – You wouldn’t have blamed Justin Thomas if, two hours into his new season, his mind drifted to wine tasting opportunities.

After all, it certainly didn’t seem like Thomas would be playing much golf this weekend at the Safeway Open. Stumbling to bogeys on three of his first five holes during Thursday’s opener, Thomas was still 3 over and 10 shots off the lead when he stood on the 12^th tee at Silverado Resort & Spa.

“I mean, you can’t really expect that great of a round when you’re 3 over through 10 on this golf course,” Thomas said.

Yet here we are, one day later, with Thomas’ name tied atop the standings in Napa. Scrap those plans to go sipping through the local vineyards.

The turnaround is just the latest testament to Thomas’ ability to reach an extra gear with amazing frequency. His second-round 64, which took him to 9 under at the halfway point and put him alongside three other co-leaders, included nine birdies. It’s also his 21^st round of 64 or better on Tour since the 2014-15 season – breaking a tie with Dustin Johnson for the most of any player over that span.

The low-scoring credentials were cemented around the time that Thomas torched Waialae for a 59 en route to victory two years ago, but the ease with which he turned a likely missed cut into a title contention so quickly this week helps him stand out among even the best players.

“I know that you can go low out here,” Thomas said. “It’s a course that it’s very short, and the ball goes quite a long way with how firm it is. But because of how firm it is, you have to get it in the fairway and really have the correct angles into the greens, and I felt like I did a pretty good job of that today.”

Just like any other player who struggles out of the gates, Thomas spent yesterday searching for a quick fix. It came in the form of a slight adjustment to his eye line over putts, and in short order the ball started to find the hole. A 19-footer for eagle on No. 18 to close out the day, which at the time appeared to merely salvage an under-par round, proved to be a harbinger of what was to come.

Thomas is making his first start of the new season, having spent little time practicing over the last two weeks following a skin cancer scare that required minor surgery. But he’s also only a few weeks removed from an emphatic victory at the BMW Championship, one that helped him tee off the Tour Championship with a two-shot lead.

So even after coming off a season that he described as a “kind of C-plus to B-minus,” the confidence was not exactly lacking. During a whirlwind turnaround, Thomas showed exactly why he’s the highest-ranked player in this week’s field while giving himself a prime opportunity to turn a likely missed cut into potentially his second trophy in as many months.

“My game’s where it needs to be. I’m playing plenty well enough to win this tournament,” Thomas said. “I just need to go execute.”

NAPA, Calif. – While he may still be in the early stages of his professional career, Collin Morikawa feels right at home at this week’s Safeway Open.

Morikawa made his PGA Tour debut at this event two years ago, missing the cut as an amateur, and he went to college at Cal less than an hour away. His caddie, J.J. Jakovac, is a Napa-area native who went to high school less than five miles from Silverado Resort and Spa.

“My caddie, J.J., pretty much living here, I think more people are rooting for him than anyone else here,” Morikawa said. “But it’s just kind of cool. It feels good to be back in an area that I’ve been the past four-and-a-half, five years.”

Morikawa even got some extra incentive early in the week when tournament officials put him in one of the marquee early-round groups alongside two of the best from the Golden State, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Cantlay. The 22-year-old backed up that standing in a big way Friday, shooting an 8-under 64 to vault into contention and tie Justin Thomas for the low round of the week.

The score was eight shots better than Morikawa’s opener and left him one shot off the lead when he signed his scorecard.

“Today it was just, ‘Let’s get in the fairway and get it from there,’” Morikawa said. “I was able to hit a few more fairways and just able to attack some pins.”

Morikawa burst onto the scene with his victory at the Barracuda Championship in July, a win that brought with it an exemption through 2021. That capped a run of three straight top-5 finishes, and while he cooled after his Reno triumph, he teed off this week well inside the top 100 in the world rankings.

On the heels of a hectic sprint to secure full-time status, Morikawa took two weeks off following the BMW Championship without touching a club. But he admitted that while preparing to make his season debut this week he began to feel “a little itch to get back out.”

“It felt like a short time, but it was also a long time because I played so many weeks in a row in the summer,” Morikawa said. “I was ready to get back out here this week and finally start competing.”

Play at six of the 12 first-stage sites for Korn Ferry Tour Q-School are in the books.

Among the notables to advance to second stage are recent college grads Chandler Phillips (Texas A&M), Bryson Nimmer (Clemson) and Zach Bauchou (Oklahoma State) while big names such as Justin Suh, Steven Fisk, Brad Dalke and Ty Tryon failed to move on.

Here is a quick recap of each site:

Bridges at Firewheel, Garland, Texas, Sept. 24-27

Notable qualifiers: Wisconsin grad and former Illinois state amateur champion Jordan Hahn, competing as an amateur, closed in 65 to advance by three shots at 11 under. … Zach Bauchou, a member of the Oklahoma State team that won the 2017 NCAA title, shot 14 under. … Mikel Martinson led the field at 21 under. … Penn State alum Cole Miller (-15), Oregon product Brandon McIver (-14) and Oklahoma alum Will Kropp (-10) were among the other qualifiers.

Not advancing: Former Oklahoma standout and U.S. Amateur runner-up Brad Dalke shot 73-73 in the final two rounds to miss by a shot at 8 under. … Former Oklahoma State teammates Hayden Wood (-7), Stratton Nolen (+1) and Nick Heinen (WD) all missed. … Former Florida standout Andy Zhang, who spent last season on the KFT, finished at 4 under. … Air Force captain Kyle Westmoreland closed in 69 but finished 7 under. … Andrew Loupe (-2), Kalena Preus (+8) and Austin Connelly (WD) among non-qualifiers.

Ak-Chin Southern Dunes GC, Maricopa, Ariz., Sept. 24-27

Notable qualifiers: K.K. Limbhasut (-17), who was teammates with Collin Morikawa at Cal, benefitted from a second-round 62 to finish first. He was joined by another recent Cal grad, Sebastian Cramption, who qualified at 11 under. … Former long-drive champ Jamie Sadlowski shot 12 under. … San Diego State alum Nahum Mendoza III, Oklahoma State product Brendon Jelley, Arizona State alum Alberto Sanchez and former Oklahoma player Michael Schoolcraft all advance by a shot at 6 under.

Not advancing: Former USC star Justin Suh birdied his final hole but fell a shot shy at 5 under. … Past Stanford standout Andrew Yun (-1) and Arizona State product Jared Du Toit (E) were among the other non-qualifiers.

Magnolia Grove (Crossing), Mobile, Ala., Sept. 24-27

Notable qualifiers: Recent Auburn grad Jacob Solomon closed in 66 to finish atop the leaderboard at 21 under. Other Auburn alums, Michael Johnson (-16), Trace Crowe (-10) and Michael Hebert (-8), all qualified. Hebert made nine birdies in his final round to make it by a shot. … Patrick Sullivan, who missed out on earning exempt status at final stage by one shot last year after putting a ball into the water, shot 18 under to easily advance. … Western Kentucky product Billy Tom Sargent (-12), North Carolina alum Ben Griffin (-10) and Hunter Hamrick (-8) were among the other qualifiers.

Not advancing: Former Vanderbilt standout Patrick Martin didn’t break 70 and finished at 6 under. … Scott Strohmeyer, the fifth man on Alabama’s 2013 NCAA title team, also shot 6 under. His teammate on that team, Cory Whitsett, finished at 10 over. … Baylor product Matthew Perrine (-5), Oklahoma State alum Zach Olsen (-1) and long-hitting Temple product Brandon Matthews (+3) were among the other non-qualifiers.

Soboba Springs GC, San Jacinto, Calif., Sept. 24-27

Notable qualifiers: Vanderbilt alum Theo Humphrey strung together four scores in the 60s to shoot 15 under and easily advance. … UC Riverside product David Gazzolo led the way at 20 under. … Morgan Deneen, a former PGM student who won a conference title for Coastal Carolina, finished at 18 under. …Alex Kang, brother of LPGA player Danielle Kang, used an opening 65 to post 10 under. … Bruce Doucett birdied three of his last four holes to advance by a shot at 8 under.

Not advancing: UCLA alum Manav Shah made a late triple bogey to shoot a closing 75 and miss by a shot at 7 under. … USC alum Andrew Levitt (-2), Pepperdine grad Roy Cootes (+2) and Oregon product Ryan Gronlund (+4) were among those not advancing.

The Landings Club (Oakri), Savannah, Ga., Sept. 24-27

Notable qualifiers: Richmond product Brad Miller finished first at 22 under. … Jimmy Jones, a USF alum and son of late LPGA winner Dawn Coe-Jones, shot 17 under. … Georgia product Dykes Harbin closed in 64 to advance at 13 under while former Bulldogs star Lee McCoy held on to make it by a shot at 11 under. … Clemson grad Bryson Nimmer (-13), Alabama alum Jonathan Hardee (-13) and UNF product Kevin Phelan (-11) were among the other qualifiers.

Not advancing: Georgia Southern grad and recent Walker Cupper Steven Fisk played his final 10 holes in 4 over to miss by one at 10 under. … Ty Tryon’s bid to advance fell way short at 8 over as the former prodigy shot 76 or worse twice. … UCF product Kyle Wilshire (-5), Georgia grad Zach Healy (+1) and Texas alum Taylor Funk (WD), the son of Fred Funk, were among the non-qualifiers.

The Woodlands CC, The Woodlands, Texas, Sept. 24-27

Notable qualifiers: Recent Baylor grad Braden Bailey shot 16 under to lead all qualifiers. Bailey’s former teammate Garrett May (-8) also advanced. … Brandon Pierce and Eric Ricard, members of LSU’s 2015 NCAA title squad, shot 10 under and 7 under, respectively. Another former Tiger, Nathan Jeansonne (-8), also moved on. … Will Grimmer, an Ohio State grad and two-time U.S. Open competitor, shot 9 under. … Former Texas A&M standout Chandler Phillips shot 8 under.

Not advancing: Texas Tech product Ivan Ramirez, playing as an amateur, shot 3 under to miss by two. …Trey Valentine (-1), Hojin Kang (+1), Jack Ireland (+2) and Matt Ceravolo (WD) were among the other non-qualifiers.

Coming up

• The Club at Irish Creek, Kannapolis, N.C., Oct. 1-4
• Grasslands G&CC, Lakeland, Fla., Oct. 1-4
• ArborLinks, Nebraska City, Neb., Oct. 1-4
• The Breakers (Rees Jones), West Palm Beach, Fla., Oct. 1-4
• Dayton Valley GC, Dayton, Nev., Oct. 8-11
• SunRiver CC, St. George, Utah, Oct. 8-11

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford surprisingly showed up on the injury report Friday with a hip injury and is questionable for Sunday's game against Kansas City.

The 31-year-old Stafford had not been listed on the injury report prior to Friday and has not been sacked since Week 1 against Arizona. He was also spotted in the locker room following practice but did not appear to be limited in any movement.

Stafford has completed 67 of 107 passes for 831 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions so far this season. He's started 131 straight games for Detroit, dating back to the start of the 2011 season. He has played through injuries before, including a back injury in 2018 and torn ligaments in the middle finger on his right hand in 2016.

All throughout, he has not missed a start.

Stafford's starting streak is the third-longest active streak among quarterbacks, behind Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan. Two weeks ago, when playing Rivers, Stafford explained what has gone into being able to start as many games in row as he and Rivers have.

"I think there's a lot that goes into it," Stafford said. "Some of it is luckily being able to play through some of the stuff that you have. Sometimes you have stuff that the quarterback position can't play through. Other times you can.

"It's not like he's had however many starts and he feels awesome every time he goes out there. But he's been able to battle through that stuff and play."

If Stafford continues his streak and plays for undefeated Detroit on Sunday against the Chiefs, it appears he'll be battling through yet another injury while continuing to play. Stafford is No. 21 all time in passing yards (39,357) and No. 25 in touchdowns (243).

Stafford is one of four players questionable for the Lions, joining cornerback Darius Slay (hamstring), wide receiver Danny Amendola (chest) and defensive lineman Da'Shawn Hand (elbow).

Defensive tackle Mike Daniels has been ruled out after injuring his foot last week against Philadelphia. Slay has been limited in practice all week, while Amendola missed Wednesday and Thursday's practice before working on a limited basis Friday.

Hand has yet to play this season after injuring his elbow in the preseason, but he worked out Friday without a brace on his left arm -- a possible sign of progress.