The Detroit Lions locked up a division title for the first time since 1993 when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16. In Week 17, they went on the road and were robbed of a victory over the Dallas Cowboys which would have put them in position to earn the No. 2 seed in the NFC for the postseason.
With a slim chance of earning the No. 2 seed still alive heading into Week 18, head coach Dan Campbell made the bold decision to play his regulars. It is something that could end up coming back to bite him.
The Lions were able to defeat the Vikings 30-20, but with the Cowboys defeating the Washington Commanders, Detroit stayed in the No. 3 seed. While it was nice to head into the postseason with some positive momentum, it came at a cost.
Star rookie tight end Sam LaPorta was able to write his name into the record books as he set the NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end. It came on a two-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, which made him only the third rookie tight end ever to reach double-digit touchdowns.
LaPorta would catch four more passes, giving him 86 on the season for 889 yards. Unfortunately, his afternoon was cut short because of a knee injury in the second quarter. With 1:50 remaining before halftime, his leg bent awkwardly after his foot looked to get stuck in the turf while he was being tackled.
He went to the locker room and didn’t return to the game. The update provided by Campbell was not overly encouraging, as LaPorta sounds like he will be in danger of missing the team’s game against the Los Angeles Rams during Super Wild Card Weekend.
“The best way I can put it is it’s probably not as bad as it looked, but it’s not good news,” Campbell said. “So, we’ll know more tomorrow. I know it looked awful, but it’s not as bad as that. But it doesn’t mean that it looks good in the immediate here to have him for a game.”
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, LaPorta likely suffered a hyperextension and bone bruise based on the initial MRI. It is a tough blow for the Lions, who also lost wide receiver and ace return man Kalif Raymond to a knee injury.
The weapons around Jared Goff could be a little short-handed next weekend against a Rams offense that can put up points in bunches. It isn’t an ideal scenario for the Lions, but they will at least have star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to rely on in the passing game and could get dynamic rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs more involved as well.
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