Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta set a season-high 66 receiving yards in Week 10 against the Houston Texans, as he also scored for the second time in the last three games. But he left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury, and after the game head coach Dan Campbell suggested the injury could sideline him for Week 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"I don’t know how significant it will be, (but) it’s not something like—this is not, ‘He’s going to be out four weeks,’” Campbell said. “Maybe, he might miss this week. We’ll see. He’s got a little sprain in here (pointing to his own shoulder/neck) kinda the AC joint. He tried to go back in and it wasn’t quite right. It didn’t quite feel right. So we’ll get it checked tomorrow, we’ll see where it’s at, see how significant it is, and just take it day-to-day.
On Monday, Campbell restated that LaPorta was "day-to-day."
"It’ll be day-to-day,” Campbell said. “But we don’t feel like this is something like, ‘Oh, man, this is going to be a long, nagging injury.’ I think we’ll get through it. I’m hopeful this week, but I can’t say that. He’s questionable.
LaPorta was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report (the Lions only had a walkthrough), then he did not practice at all on Thursday or Friday. It would have frankly been a bigger surprise if LaPorta had practiced in any capacity this week.
LaPorta is presumably on the list of Lions' players who would be given the leeway to play in a game without practicing all week, but it looks like he'll indeed miss Sunday's game against the Jaguars. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported as much before the final injury report of the week came out, reading the tea leaves that point to LaPorta missing Sunday's game.
Campbell invited the possibility LaPorta would be out this week right after last Sunday night's game, and in light of the bigger goals the Lions have in mind they can probably beat the 2-8 Jaguars without their No. 1 tight end.
Update: LaPorta has been officially ruled out for Week 11.