Detroit (6-4 straight up, 6-4 against the spread) head coach Dan Campbell confirmed to reporters this morning that star tight end Sam LaPorta recently had back surgery that’ll likely keep him out for the rest of the season.
“I think we would be fortunate to have a chance to get him back for the rest of the season,” Campbell said. “I think that’s very, very slim. The good news is the procedure went really well long-term.”
The 24-year-old LaPorta was placed on injured reserve last week ahead of the Lions’ 16-9 loss at Philadelphia.
In nine games this year, LaPorta has 40 receptions for 489 yards and three touchdowns.
Detroit took the University of Iowa product with the #34 overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. It was another steal for general manager Brad Holmes, who put on an absolute clinic that night.
Holmes traded out of the #6 overall pick and shipped it along with the #81 overall selection to Arizona for the #12, #34 and #168 picks. The Lions took RB Jahmyr Gibbs at #12 and snagged Iowa LB Jack Campbell with their #18 selection.
Many analysts on ESPN and across the mean streets of Twitter bashed Holmes and the Lions for taking a RB so early and Campbell, who many draftniks had a second-round grade for. Well, Campbell was named to the 2023 All-Rookie Team by the Pro Football Writers Association and finished eighth in voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Campbell started all 17 regular-season games for Detroit in 2024, recording 131 tackles, five tackles for loss, five passes broken up, five QB Hits, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble. In 10 games this season, he has 97 tackles, seven TFL’s, four sacks, four QB Hits, two forced fumbles, one PBU and one fumble recovery.
Gibbs was fourth in voting for 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year and eighth for 2024 Offensive Player of the Year when he led the NFL in rushing TDs with 16. In 42 career regular-season games, Gibbs has 3,089 rushing yards, 34 TDs and a 5.4 yards-per-carry average. He also has 141 career catches for 1,167 yards and seven TDs.
As for LaPorta, he was a 2023 Pro-Bowl selection and finished third in voting for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He started 14 of 17 regular-season games, producing 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 TDs.
In three postseason games as a rookie, LaPorta had 21 catches on 27 targets for 176 yards and one TD.
LaPorta played in 16 regular-season contests in 2024, hauling in 60 receptions for 726 yards and seven TDs. In a loss to Washington in the playoffs, he had six catches for 51 yards and one TD.
Holmes also made a trade into the second round to pick starting safety Brian Branch in that same 2023 NFL Draft. Branch was a Pro-Bowl pick last season and finished fifth in voting for 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
The picks of LaPorta, Campbell, Gibbs and Branch are one of the main reasons the Lions have been (and remain) one of the NFL’s premier teams over the last three seasons. You’d be hard pressed to find an NFL team that’s picked four better players in the same draft in the last decade and change.
As of Friday afternoon, the banged-up Lions were listed as 12.5 or 13-point home favorite vs the New York Giants, who will go with Jameis Winston as their starting QB with Jaxson Dart ruled ‘out’ again. The total was 50 or 50.5 points, while the G-Men were +600 on the money line.
FanDuel has the Lions with 11/1 odds to win Super Bowl LX. Those are the fifth-shortest odds on the board. They’re +140 ‘chalk’ to win the NFC North.
The Packers and Bears have +145 and +320 odds, respectively. Chicago (7-3 SU, 6-4 ATS) has a one-half game edge on Green Bay (6-3-1 SU, 3-7 ATS) and a one-game lead on the Lions in the division standings going into Week 12.