The Detroit Lions' offense finally found their stride in Week 5, as they put on an offensive show amid their 45-21 beatdown of the Arizona Cardinals on the road.
Quite possibly the biggest reason the Lions were finally able to flex their muscle was because of the emergence of tight end Sam LaPorta. After being a hit-or-miss target through the first few weeks of the season, LaPorta caught fire against the Cardinals and put on a show.
Early and often, it was clear LaPorta was the hot hand, and the Lions targeted him as a result. He made a game-changing catch on fourth-down to spark Detroit's first scoring drive and never looked back. By the time the game was over, he was the Lions' leading receiver with 88 yards on five receptions and a score.
Last week, word had leaked that LaPorta had temporarily broken off extention negotiations with the Lions. While it remains to be seen if the franchise can still get a deal done, this game should have served as a motivating factor. LaPorta was all over the place, and looked like he was arguably the most vital member of the offense.
Even though it was a big day for Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, LaPorta felt like the most important member of the offense. Jared Goff was able to trust him to make big plays, and turned to him when things were tense for big catches in big moments.
Dan Campbell, a former tight end, was a fan of how LaPorta turned around the game with a tough catch early on fourth-down.
"That was really big. He took the hit in the back of the head on a critical catch. That was a contested catch. That was a great job by (Jared) Goff progressing through. We were going to (Amon-Ra) St. Brown and he worked his way through it and the offensive line gave him time and he found it. Gave him a ball to make a play on and he went and made a play and then took a shot (and) held on to it. That was huge."
The monster performance came at a key juncture for both Detroit and LaPorta. It's tough to say where the Lions would have been without his output, which only proves how indispensable he is for the franchise and their offense in the long-run.
Goff believes LaPorta helps to change the game for Lions offense
Campbell isn't the only one who seems to understand what LaPorta means to the Lions. Goff had had the benefit of throwing to him for the last few seasons, and always comes away impressed with what his top weapon can do.
As he explained, the game completely changed on a few key receptions from LaPorta, and his ability to move down the field and make tough plays was what helped to unlock the offense most after a sleepy first-quarter.
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"I thought Sam (LaPorta) was the catalyst today for everything. He had the fourth down conversion on the in-cut which wasn't a great throw and he made a great catch. Then he had the fourth-and-one touchdown. He had a number of other catches. The third down and long that I checked down to him that he went and I think he got us into fourth-and-one which we then scored on. Those three plays alone change the entire landscape of the game. He's a hell of a player, and I'm happy he's on our side."
The Lions probably don't want to waste much time pondering the specifics of a LaPorta extension. As this game showed, they are a much better team when he is helping to open up the offense for everyone else. Hopefully, he has just scratched the surface of what 2026 can be statistically and otherwise.
With more performances like this, the Lions will have no choice but to get a deal done to keep LaPorta around for the long-term. Not only has he proven it in the past, he continues to prove it week by week.
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