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Sam LaPorta is making a case as the best tight end in the NFL in his rookie year, a year that sees his Detroit Lions on the cusp of the Super Bowl. However, an injury to the rookie tight end has things up in the air now. Their NFC title hopes likely hinge on his availability against a vaunted opponent.
LaPorta has been banged up for weeks, but he has been able to play through it. He hurt his knee in the regular season finale but toughed it out for the Wildcard and Divisional Round wins. Will he be able to do the same?
Sam LaPorta injury status: What happened to Lions TE?
Sam LaPorta is considered Questionable right now. For the first time in two weeks, the rookie tight end sat out of practice. Even with the lingering knee injury, he was at least a limited participant in every practice, but that has changed in advance of the NFC Championship Game.
UPDATE: LaPorta has no designation for Sunday's game. He is expected to suit up for the Lions at Levi's Stadium.
Things don't look good, though. One report has him as a potential Out this weekend, so his practice status throughout the rest of the week will need to be monitored before they take on the San Francisco 49ers.
The Detroit Lions tight end suffered this knee injury against the Minnesota Vikings, but it hasn't cost him any time. In fact, it hardly seems to have slowed him down as he's been very productive over the last couple of weeks.
Nevertheless, his ability to ignore it and the Lions' injury luck may be waning. Other players are also banged up, but LaPorta has proven to be a huge catalyst for their offensive success. Losing him as they go on the road to take on a tough opponent would be a catastrophic blow.
The team did recently sign Zach Ertz to the practice squad, indicating that they're not terribly comfortable with the depth of the position with LaPorta's status up in the air.
He said via MLive:
“This team is on a roll, hungry, so I’m excited to be a part of it. I have no expectations coming in or what my role will be. I don’t expect anything handed to me, obviously. I want to earn whatever reps I get. I’m not here to start any drama or cause any insubordination, per se. I’m just here to support the guys however I can, hopefully teach Sam or some of these young tight ends some things. And play to the best of my ability when my number’s called."
It remains to be seen if he will be activated on Sunday when the NFC Championship Game takes place.
