The Detroit Lions had a few injuries in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, with one of them being to their tight end Sam LaPorta.
LaPorta sprained his ankle on a touchdown against the Cardinals and was able to return to the game but in a limited fashion. Ahead of their Week 4 game against the Seattle Seahawks, LaPorta is still nursing the ankle injury, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Lions TE Sam LaPorta did not practice today due to his ankle injury,” Schefter tweeted on X, formerly Twitter.
Lions tight ends coach Steve Heiden mentioned that LaPorta’s status was left up to the team doctors before practice.
“Really, that’s up to the doctors,” Heiden said. “If he’s good to go, (it’s) ‘you’re out there. Let’s go.”
Detroit has a bye the following week. So, it stands to reason that if the Pro Bowl tight end isn’t near healthy, that he sits Monday night.
Lions dealing with several injuries to the team
Besides Sam LaPorta, the Detroit Lions had to deal with other injuries to some of their key players. Safety Brian Branch left the Week 3 game against the Arizona Cardinals and was put in the concussion protocol. He was recently seen at practice, but he is still in protocols and has to be cleared to come back and play. Alim McNeil left the Cardinals game with a shoulder injury, but he was back with the defensive line in practice.
The Lions are already missing two defensive players in Derrick Barnes and Marcus Davenport. Barnes is expected to miss some time with a knee injury, while Davenport is expected to miss the season.
If the Lions can get LaPorta back on offense, and it will be big for a group that looks like they’re still trying to get the footing right to start the season. At 2-1, the Lions will be facing a tough challenge with the undefeated Seattle Seahawks coming into Detroit, and it should be a competitive game if they can get healthy.
