Sam LaPorta, the All-Pro tight end for the Detroit Lions, appears to be playing against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL playoffs’ Wild Card round.
Sam LaPorta, a tight end for the Detroit Lions, is leaning toward participating on Sunday night in the team’s Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams, per to NFL Network report.
“After sustaining a bone bruise and a hyperextended knee, #Lions Pro Bowl rookie tight end Sam LaPorta is progressing well enough to play against the #Rams, according to @TomPelissero and myself,” Ian Rapoport tweeted early on Sunday. LaPorta will probably wear a brace, as she is very limited in practice. However, he plans to be there with his group.
LaPorta was viewed by many as having little chance of playing this week, but on Thursday he worked out after practice, and on Friday the Lions listed him as a full participant. LaPorta did indeed state this week that if he plays on Sunday, he would wear a knee brace.
As a precaution, LaPorta stated, “I’ll probably play with the knee brace to make sure that hyperextension doesn’t happen again, in the unlikely event the cleat gets caught in the turf again and something bad were to happen.” I’m not sure how much the knee brace would hinder me or actually prevent it from happening again, but I think you would see me wearing it.
The Lions offense, which mostly depended on LaPorta in every aspect of the game, would benefit greatly from having him back, even in a limited capacity. He leads the club in both receiving yards (889) and receptions (86), and he is a vital component of the run game, coming in just behind four starting offensive lineman in run blocking snaps this year.
90 minutes before to kickoff, when the inactives are revealed, we’ll know for sure if LaPorta is participating.
