Among the walking wounded coming out of last Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals for the Detroit Lions was tight end Sam LaPorta. He exited late in the first half with a sprained right ankle, and after an attempt to play through the injury he had to leave the game for good.
Early reports suggested LaPorta had avoided the dreaded high ankle sprain, which was good news in terms of how much time (if any) he might miss. But his status for Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks, even with an extra day between games to rest/heal, was automatically a question.
LaPorta was limited only to side work on Thursday, and he was officially listed as not participating in the first Lions' practice of the week . Then he was listed as a full participant in Friday's practice, which was a great sign for his availability Monday night. It was a practical confirmation he would play against the Seahawks, pending Saturday's final injury report for the week.
Sam LaPorta expected to play Monday night vs. Seahawks
Head coach Dan Campbell spoke to the media on Saturday morning. When LaPorta's naturally name came up, we got a concise declaration about his availability for Monday night.
"He looked really good yesterday, that was good to see," Campbell said. "He's bounced back quickly, healed up nicely. So no, he's good."
LaPorta is off to a slow start this season, with just eight catches for 94 yards over three games. But it's fair to assume his days to be a big factor will come, and he could be a key cog for the Lions against Seattle's No. 1-ranked pass defense.
Through three weeks this season, the Seahawks are bottom-10 in the league in receptions (5.7 per game) and yards (57.3 per game) allowed to tight ends. A big chunk of that production was ceded to Patriots' tight end Hunter Henry in Week 2 (eight receptions for 109 yards), but LaPorta can easily also take advantage of a good matchup.