The Detroit Lions, coming off a bye week, hosted the Minnesota Vikings for a divisional matchup but were not able to come away with a victory. Detroit’s offense did not look like their usual selves, but one player made an impact early on in this game.
Game ball: Sam LaPorta
Stats: 6 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD
On Detroit’s opening drive on offense, Sam LaPorta was the offense. The third-year tight end took his first reception of the game for a 15-yard catch-and-run. On the very next play, he notched 11 more yards receiving. After a short run from Gibbs and two incomplete passes, the Lions soon found themselves at a fourth-and-4 situation from Minnesota’s 40-yard line.
LaPorta, who was lined up in the slot, ran a vertical route and was hit by Goff 20 yards downfield. The former Iowa Hawkeye then ran the ball into the endzone for Detroit’s first score of the day, all while dragging multiple Vikings defenders with him.
LaPorta stayed productive throughout the rest of the game. Other than a false start penalty on the second drive of the game, he remained one of Goff’s top targets throughout the matchup. In the second quarter, he caught one pass for 5 yards and was targeted two other times, but both passes went incomplete.
In the second half, he came alive again and caught two passes for a total of 26 yards. LaPorta started the season very quietly despite being a heavily featured player on this team over his first two seasons. This resurgence, despite the loss, should bring some optimism to Lions fans moving forward.
Honorable mention: Terrion Arnold
Stats: 3 tackles, 3 PD, 1 INT
It’s customary that when a player records their first career interception, they get to keep the game ball. In this case, that honor finally goes to former first-round pick Terrion Arnold.
It should be noted that this is technically not Arnold’s first NFL interception, but instead the first that has not been called back due to a penalty. Arnold has had two picks during his career that were taken off his stats sheet due to errors from teammates.
The second-year cornerback has had a rough beginning to the season. He made a lot of errors early on in pass coverage and drew several penalties because of them. He then missed some time this season due to an injury, but it seems that he has bounced back in a positive way from those issues. With Detroit’s cornerback depth looking slim at the moment, it is good to see a young player begin to come into form.
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