Sep 30, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA;  Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) runs upfield after catching a pass against the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Lions TE Sam LaPorta (shoulder) could miss Week 11

Detroit Lions second-year tight end Sam LaPorta sustained an AC joint sprain in Sunday night’s come-from-behind victory at Houston and could miss their Week 11 game.

He sustained the shoulder injury after hauling in a 37-yard pass from Jared Goff in the third quarter of the 26-23 win over the Texans. LaPorta left the game and did not return.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said the team will take it “day-to-day” with their starting tight end.

“I don’t know how significant it will be. It’s not something like — this is not, ‘He’s going to be out four weeks,’” Campbell told reporters postgame. “Maybe, he might miss this week. We’ll see. He’s got a little sprain in here, 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.”

LaPorta said the injury was “nothing major” after undergoing an X-ray after the game.

LaPorta, 23, finished with three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown against the Texans. He has 25 catches for 366 yards and three TDs on the season.

The Lions (8-1) host the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8) on Sunday.

–Field Level Media

Oct 13, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA;  Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) reacts during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson recovering from leg surgery

Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured tibia and fibula, the team announced Monday.

The NFL sacks leader sustained the injury to his right leg in the third quarter of Sunday’s 47-9 victory against the host Dallas Cowboys.

Hutchinson, 24, had surgery Sunday night at the Baylor White Medical Center in Irving, Texas. He will return to Detroit this week and is expected to make a full recovery, the team said.

“There is no timeline for his return to play at this time,” concluded the Lions’ statement.

Hutchinson, one of the league’s premier defensive players, was injured while sacking Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott early in the second half. Players from both teams huddled around Hutchinson as medical personnel tended to him and placed him on the cart.

After returning from a series of commercial breaks, the Fox Sports broadcast did not replay the injury.

Hutchinson, the second pick of the 2022 draft, leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks through five starts this season.

The 2023 Pro Bowl selection has registered 28.5 sacks, 65 quarterback hits, 122 tackles, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and four interceptions in 39 career starts.

–Field Level Media

Detroit Lions defensive end Marcus Davenport (92) pressures Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

Report: Lions DE Marcus Davenport’s season in jeopardy

Detroit Lions defensive end Marcus Davenport’s elbow injury could be season-ending, NFL Network reported Monday.

He is undergoing more tests for a “serious and significant” injury sustained during Sunday’s 20-13 win at Arizona, per the report.

Davenport has recorded four quarterback hits, two tackles and a half-sack in two games (one start) this season. He missed Week 2 with a groin injury.

Davenport, 28, was a first-round pick (14th overall) by the New Orleans Saints in 2018. He signed a one-year deal with Detroit for $6.5 million in March.

He has 24 sacks, 68 QB hits and 151 tackles in 69 games (36 starts) with the Saints (2018-22), Minnesota Vikings (2023) and Lions.

–Field Level Media

Detroit Lions staff check on wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) due to an injury during the second half against Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, September 15, 2024.

Report: Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown avoids serious injury

Detroit Lions star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown avoided a serious leg injury in Sunday’s home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ESPN reported Monday.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection exited the 20-16 setback with about 30 seconds left with what was later determined to be a contusion and cramping, per the report.

St. Brown, 24, sat out the Lions’ final five plays while receiving treatment and evaluation on his legs on the sideline.

He caught 11 passes for 119 yards against the Buccaneers and has 14 receptions for 132 yards and no touchdowns through two games this season.

St. Brown has 329 receptions for 3,720 yards and 21 scores in 51 games (43 starts) since Detroit drafted him in the fourth round in 2021.

After Sunday’s game, Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters Brown was “all right” and the injury did not appear to be “anything long term, so that’s good news.”

–Field Level Media

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) hands the ball to running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

Lions host Buccaneers in another playoff rematch

The Detroit Lions had to open the campaign against a team it eliminated from the playoffs last season. The second week of the season will be no different.

Following a 26-20 overtime win against the visiting Los Angeles Rams, the Lions host Tampa Bay on Sunday. Detroit ended the Bucs’ 2023 season with a 31-23 win in the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff doesn’t want to overemphasize last year’s playoff game while preparing for Sunday’s rematch with the 1-0 Buccaneers.

“You can look at it. You can play the game all day long of, ‘OK, we did this, and they did that, so how are we going to counter this and then we’ve got to counter that.’ And that’s a long rabbit hole you can go down,” he said.

“So you just try to prepare for it like it’s another game and watch that tape as if it’s another game and understand there are some certain things that they were trying to take away from us. But at the same time, I’m sure they’ll try to take away something else this game, so we’ll have to adjust as we go.”

The Rams did a good job of taking away some of the Lions’ offensive weapons in Sunday night’s opener. Goff was held to 217 passing yards, with 52 coming on a touchdown heave to Jameson Williams. All-Pro Amon Ra St. Brown was held to 13 yards on three receptions and Sam LaPorta also had a relatively quiet night (four catches, 45 yards).

Detroit coach Dan Campbell expects the Bucs, like the Rams, to challenge for their division title.

“They are certainly going to be competitive and be right there in the race, and so this is a chance to get an early one,” he said. “You get an early one and you just don’t know what this is going to mean down the road and if you can put some money in the bank early in the season, it will pay big dividends for you down the road. So, I think that’s the way you have to look at it.”

Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles says there’s “absolutely nothing” his team can take away from its last trip to Detroit.

“That was last year in the playoffs. They knocked us out,” he said. “We’re 1-0, we’re trying to win a ballgame to go 2-0.”

Bucs receiver Chris Godwin is looking forward to the challenge.

“Just more excited about the opportunity to go back there,” he said. “It’s a great environment. The fans, in that last game, they were rocking. They’re very excited about how good that team is, and they have a right to be. … As a competitor, it’s really fun to go into places like that.”

Godwin’s season got off to a strong start with eight receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown in the Bucs’ 37-20 win over Washington. Mike Evans added 61 yards and two TD grabs. Baker Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns.

Mayfield passed for 349 yards and three touchdowns in the playoff game but was also picked off twice and sacked four times. The Lions didn’t have a turnover while St. Brown and LaPorta combined for 17 receptions.

“They’re talented all the way around, no question about it,” Bowles said. “They can hurt you in a lot of ways.”

Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. missed Tampa Bay’s practice on Wednesday with a foot injury. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell (ankle) and safety Kerby Joseph (hamstring) were among the Lions who didn’t practice.

–Field Level Media