Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta suffered a knee injury in Week 18, which put his status for the start of the playoffs in doubt. He’s listed as questionable to play tonight against the Rams, but it sounds like he’s going to give it a go.
According to Ian Rapoport, LaPorta is “trending in the right direction to play” in the wild-card round against Los Angeles. Rapoport said LaPorta will likely wear a brace on his knee but he plans to play.
LaPorta hyperextended his knee and suffered a bone bruise in what looked like a severe injury last week, but he’s apparently a fast healer and will try to help his team win its first playoff game since the 1991 season.
#Lions Pro Bowl rookie TE Sam LaPorta, who suffered a bone bruise and hyperextended knee, is trending in the right direction to play vs the #Rams, per me and @TomPelissero. Very limited in practice, LaPorta will likely wear a brace. But he intends to be out there with his team.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 14, 2024
In his rookie season, LaPorta caught 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, completely changing the look of the Lions offense by giving Jared Goff a dynamic pass catcher in the middle of the field to go with Amon-Ra St. Brown.
