In the categoy of "life comes at you fast", Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta went from out for a game, to on IR to most likely out for the season due to a back injury in the span of a week.
It's impossible to overstate LaPorta's importance to the Lions' offense. His absence means others (Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs) are in line for targets from Jared Goff, but his being out also marked a serious shift in the Lions' offensive personnel deployment in Week 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Per Colton Pouncy of The Athletic:
"From Weeks 1 through 10, the Lions deployed 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) about 32.9 percent of their offensive snaps — good for seventh in the league. Without LaPorta against the Eagles, that number drastically dipped. They were logged at just one offensive snap in 12 personnel — easily a season low."
Sam LaPorta's absence clears runway for player Lions fans want to see more of
In line with the Lions using three wide receivers so much more against Philadelphia, Kalif Raymond tied his season-high (set the previous week) with 38 offensive snaps. He also was not targeted in the game, as Goff and offense was largely out of sync all night.
Meanwhile, rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa played 20 offensive snaps and had one target against the Eagles.
In the wake of Dan Campbell's harsh update about LaPorta on Friday, TeSlaa became a topic of discussion on 97.1 The Ticket's "Karsch and Anderson" a little later in the day.
READ MORE: 3 Giants players Lions fans should watch out for in Week 12
"In the meantime, without Sam LaPorta, what does this mean?, co-host Scott "Gator" Anderson said. "It means more Brock Wright in the receiving game? Or does this open up an opportunity...what I was trying to see last week was more Isaac TeSlaa, and utilizing his size and speed."
Is It Teslaa Time? pic.twitter.com/hqJWeiVDJS
— 97.1 The Ticket: (@971theticketxyt) November 21, 2025
For multiple, valid reasons, early season talk about increasing TeSlaa's role hasn't quite come to fruition. It's of course a very small sample to this point, but on four catches this season he has totaled 65 yards with two touchdowns.
The Lions' offensive staff is now fully tasked with finding some unique margins to fill any part of the huge void LaPorta is likely leaving for the rest of the season. Getting TeSlaa on the field more looks one way it could be done, in line with the shift toward more three-wide receiver sets that seems likely to stick beyond the first game without their stud tight end.