Tag: sam laporta

Lions vs Colts: Final injury report medical analysis

Lions vs Colts: Final injury report medical analysis for both teams ahead of their Week 12 matchup

One of the key matchups to watch will be the Lions weakened front-7 who just lost a starting LB vs the Colts weakened offensive line who will be missing three starters.

Over the week, the Lions had two new injuries to CB’s, but otherwise the active roster is healthy. The Colts had an upgrade to their RT who will play.

DETROIT LIONS

Out – Ennis Rakestraw CB (hamstring UL UL NP)

Rakestraw had a hamstring strain earlier this year and missed weeks two and three. It’s uncertain the severity of the current hamstring injury. We will know more depending on if he is placed on IR this weekend. He has otherwise been healthy after coming back from core muscle surgery about 11 months ago.

Questionable – Terrion Arnold CB (groin UL LP FP)

On Friday, Dan Campbell stated: “This morning he went in and got treatment, everything looks like it’s pretty good…. I’m not concerned right now but we’ll see how this day goes.” Those words are reassuring that Arnold does not have a significant injury. The FP strongly suggests he will play vs the Colts.

In the unlikely event that Arnold is out, expect to see Kindle Vildor who filled in when Carlton Davis left as a precaution last game.

Questionable – Emmanuel Moseley CB (pec FP FP FP)

Dan Campbell stated on Friday: “He’s trending the right way…. We see him doing a little bit of everything corner, nickel, safety.”

Moseley tore his pec in August and opened his 21-day practice window on November 6. The loss of Rakestraw slightly increases the chances Moseley will be active, but I still expect him to be out. If he’s indeed out, expect him to be moved to the active roster early next week with a chance to play on Thanksgiving.

In – Sam LaPorta TE (shoulder FP FP FP)

LaPorta missed one game with a left AC joint sprain. Dan Campbell on Friday stated: “He’s been good….he’s got fresh legs.” LaPorta is in with no expected limitations.

In – Carlton Davis CB (thumb FP FP FP)

Davis broke his left thumb last week in practice and played the entire first half vs the Jaguars in a thumb splint. He was pulled for the second half presumably as a precaution. The 3x FP is reassuring that the thumb is recovering fine.

In – Shane Zylstra TE (neck FP FP FP)

Zylstra left the last game late in the fourth quarter. Fortunately, the neck injury was not serious.

NOTABLES

Out – Jalen Reeves-Maybin

JRM was place on IR two weeks ago for an unspecified neck injury. His earliest eligible return is week 14 vs the Packers. Dan Campbell on Friday gave an update: “We’re hopeful [he’ll return], but we really don’t know at this time.”

Out – Alex Anzalone

This starting LB was placed on IR this week with a forearm fracture. He should be back in about seven weeks.

In – Brodric Martin

This is Martin’s first week on the active roster after a right knee hyperextension in preseason. Whether he is active on gameday will depend on where the coaches view him on the depth chart.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Out – Bernhard Raimann LT (knee NP NP NP)

This starting LT will miss his second straight game.

Questionable – Tyquan Lewis DE (elbow FP FP FP)

Having just opened his practice window this week after missing seven games, I would not expect him to play.

In – Josh Downs WR (calf  UL FP FP)

Downs has the most receptions on the team with 50 for 567 yards. Only Alec Pierce has more receiving yardage with 590.

In – Braden Smith RT (foot/rest LP FP NP)

This starting RT has played every game this year and that will continue.

In – Michael Pittman WR (back FP FP FP)

Pittman has been dealing with a back issue for a few weeks but will play through. He has 35 catches for 412 yards on the year.

In – Kenny Moore CB (knee UL FP FP)

Moore plays almost 100% of defensive snaps.

In – DeForest Buckner DT (rest UL UL NP)

In – Zaire Franklin LB (rest UL UL NP)

In – Grover Stewart DT (rest UL UL NP)

NOTABLES

Out – Ryan Kelly C

This starting center has missed the last two games on IR.

Out – Will Fries RG

This starting RG has missed the last six games on IR.

Lions injury update: All players active at Wednesday’s practice

Lions injury update: All players active at Wednesday’s practice ahead of the Week 12 matchup with the Colts

Something very unusual happened at the Detroit Lions practice facility in Allen Park on Wednesday.

Every single player on the active roster practiced. All 53 players, including freshly activated defensive tackle Brodric Martin, were designated as full participants in Wednesday’s session, which was a walkthrough instead of a full contact practice.

Five players did get injury designations along with their full practice notations:

CB Carlton Davis (thumb)
TE Sam LaPorta (shoulder)
CB Emmanuel Moseley (pectoral)
WR Allen Robinson (concussion protocol)
TE Shane Zylstra (neck)

LaPorta missed the Week 11 win over the Jaguars. Davis played the first half with his broken thumb. Robinson and Zylstra suffered their injuries during that Jacksonville game.

Moseley remains on injured reserve. He was designated to return at the same time as Ifeatu Melifonwu, who was activated Monday but then immediately placed on injured reserve once again with a different injury. Moseley’s 21-day activation clock ends next week, after the Lions play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Jaguars vs. Lions: Inactive lists

Jaguars vs. Lions: Inactive lists

Find Jacksonville and Detroit’s inactive lists for Week 11 below.

Jaguars inactives

  • QB Trevor Lawrence
  • RB Tank Bigsby
  • OL Javon Foster
  • DL Maason Smith
  • DL Esezi Otomewo
  • LB Yasir Abdullah
  • CB De’Antre Prince

Analysis: The Jaguars ruled starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence out of Week 11 on Wednesday, running back Tank Bigsby out on Friday and backup linebacker Yasir Abdullah out on Saturday.

Not on Jacksonville’s inactive list, importantly, is starting left guard Ezra Cleveland, who will return to action after missing the Jaguars’ last two games with an ankle injury. He was labeled questionable for the contest on Friday.

Lions inactives

  • TE Sam LaPorta
  • OL Colby Sorsdal
  • OL Christian Mahogany
  • OL Giovanni Manu
  • DL Al-Quadin Muhammad
  • S Loren Strickland

Analysis: Detroit’s most notable inactive player is starting tight end SamLaPorta, who was ruled out of Week 11 with a shoulder injury on Friday. The Lions otherwise scratched three reserve offensive linemen, one backup defensive lineman and one depth safety against the Jaguars.

Jaguars vs. Lions: Final injury reports, game statuses

Jaguars vs. Lions: Final injury reports, game statuses

Find Jacksonville and Detroit’s final injury reports and initial game statuses for Week 11 below.

* indicates upgraded status from the previous practice 

^ indicates player is designated to return from injured reserve 

Jaguars injury report

  • RB Keilan Robinson^ (toe) — full
  • RB D’Ernest Johnson (hamstring) — limited
  • WR Brian Thomas Jr. (chest) — limited
  • WR Gabe Davis (shoulder) — limited
  • OL Brandon Scherff (knee) — limited
  • OL Ezra Cleveland (ankle) — limited
  • OL Blake Hance (knee) — limited
  • DE Josh Hines-Allen (shoulder) — limited
  • DT Maason Smith (ankle) — limited
  • CB Tyson Campbell (shoulder) — limited
  • S Daniel Thomas (hamstring) — limited
  • QB Trevor Lawrence (left shoulder) — did not participate
  • RB Tank Bigsby (ankle) — did not participate

Jaguars game statuses

  • RB Keilan Robinson: QUESTIONABLE
  • OL Ezra Cleveland: QUESTIONABLE
  • DL Maason Smith: QUESTIONABLE
  • QB Trevor Lawrence: OUT
  • RB Tank Bigsby: OUT

Analysis: After Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson ruled starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence out of Week 11 on Wednesday, Jacksonville announced Friday that running back Tank Bigsby would not play against Detroit, either.

Pederson said Bigsby was slated to practice Friday after being sidelined Wednesday and Thursday, That did not end up being the case as Bigsby was a nonparticipant for the final session of the week.

Jaguars starting left guard Ezra Cleveland enters the matchup questionable. Pederson said Cleveland “should be good to go” Friday, after missing Jacksonville’s last two games.

Lions injury report

  • OT Taylor Decker (shoulder) — full*
  • DT Brodric Martin^ (knee) — full
  • LB Malcolm Rodriguez (ankle) — full*
  • CB Carlton Davis (hand) — full
  • CB Emmanuel Moseley^ (pectoral) — full
  • TE Sam LaPorta (shoulder) — did not participate
  • LB Ben Niemann (ankle) — did not participate
  • S Ifeatu Melifonwu^ (ankle) — did not participate

Lions game statuses

  • LB Ben Niemann: QUESTIONABLE
  • TE Sam LaPorta: OUT
  • DT Brodric Martin: OUT
  • CB Emmanuel Moseley: OUT
  • S Ifeatu Melifonwu: OUT

Analysis: Star Lions tight end Sam LaPorta was ruled out against the Jaguars after missing each day of practice this week with a shoulder injury. Backup linebacker Ben Niemann joined the injury report Friday with an ankle injury.

Lions rule out Sam LaPorta for Week 11, Carlton Davis will play

Lions rule out TE Sam LaPorta for Week 11, while CB Carlton Davis is among the wounded who will play against the Jaguars

Detroit Lions ight end Sam LaPorta will not play against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. While that was expected ever since LaPorta suffered a shoulder injury in the Lions Week 10 win in Houston, it’s now official.

LaPorta was the only player on the active roster ruled out by the Lions for Sunday’s game. Reserve linebacker Ben Niemann is listed as questionable with an ankle injury that kept him from practicing on Friday.

Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, cornerback Carlton Davis and left tackle Taylor Decker were all full participants in Friday’s practice and carry no injury designation for the visit from Jacksonville. Decker and Rodriguez missed last week’s games, while Davis popped up on the injury report with a hand issue.

All three players who are on injured reserve and designated for return remain out: Brodric Martin, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Emmanuel Moseley.

Lions injury update: Taylor Decker among those with changed practice status

Lions injury update: Taylor Decker among those with changed practice status from Wednesday, a list that also includes Carlton Davis

There was some good news and bad news from the Detroit Lions injury report after Thursday’s practice ahead of Week 11.

First, the good news. Left tackle Taylor Decker was a full participant in Thursday’s session with his shoulder. Decker missed the Week 10 win in Houston and was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. That puts Decker in good position to play in Sunday’s game at Ford Field against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez also upgraded to a full participant. Rodriguez has missed the last two games with a knee injury.

Now, the bad news…

Starting CB Carlton Davis was downgraded with a hand injury. Davis was not listed on Wednesday’s report, indicating he suffered some form of malady during the session.

Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu also downgraded in status. Still on injured reserve but designated to return from a lingering ankle injury, Melifonwu dropped to a limited participant with a new finger listing.

Tight end Sam LaPorta sat out for the second consecutive day with a shoulder injury. LaPorta is not expected to play against Jacksonville.

Lions post-Week 10 injury report and medical analysis

Lions post-Week 10 injury report and medical analysis after the win in Houston and getting ready for Week 11 and the Jaguars

I just returned from Houston where I voluntarily and eagerly overdosed on smoked brisket and Tex-Mex fajitas. Conversely, I involuntarily and begrudgingly overdosed on watching interceptions. At least the final result was a panacea.

Other notes from the stadium:

  • The Texans Battle Red helmets looked fantastic with the mirror red finish. The Lions silver helmets look much shinier and sparkly in person than they do on TV. With the Lions blueberries, this could have been a gorgeous color rush game but alas.
  • The roof was open for only the second time since 2021 which afforded a nice view of the moon and the fireworks. Fortunately, there was not even a hint of wind as that could easily have changed the outcome of the game with how tight Jake Bates’ field goals were to the uprights.
  • Credit to the Texans fans for being raucous all game and the Lions fans for bringing the heat in the fourth quarter. It was an excellent Sunday night atmosphere all the way around.

The game was overall a very healthy one for the Lions. Nothing live at the game jumped out to me from an injury standpoint. There were some minor concerns upon TV review, but the initial injury report is reassuring. The main concern was Sam LaPorta and there is early good news with him.

DETROIT LIONS

Sam LaPorta TE (NP) shoulder

LaPorta suffered a left AC joint sprain. Dan Campbell on Wednesday called it “day-to-day”. If this was the playoffs or a significant regular season game, I would fully expect him to play. Since it’s not, I expect him to miss at least this Sunday vs the Jaguars. There is no long-term concern though.

Taylor Decker OT (LP) shoulder

Decker stated he had a rotator cuff strain in practice last week. He has a history of shoulder labrum surgery in 2017 to the same side. Fortunately, the signs are that this is a minor, short-term issue. Dan Campbell on Wednesday stated “I feel better about having Decker this week… I think he’s going to be able to make it”.

Malcolm Rodriguez LB (LP) ankle

After two straight weeks of NP’s, upgrading to an LP on Wednesday is a good sign that he may be ready to go after missing two games.

Brodric Martin DT (FP) knee

After being on IR all year with a right knee hyperextension, Martin had his 21-day practice window opened on October 30. Expect him to be out for the Jaguars game and moved to the active roster early next week.

Ifeatu Melifonwu S (FP) ankle

Coming off IR with a suspected Achilles tendonitis, Melifonwu’s practice window opened November 6. He’s very likely out on Sunday but should be moved to the active roster before Thanksgiving.

Emmanuel Moseley CB (FP) pec

Recovering from his torn pec in August, Moseley’s 21-day practice window opened November 6. Like Melifonwu, he’s also likely out this Sunday but will move to the active roster before Thanksgiving.

Za’Darius Smith DE (FP) personal

Smith got a personal bye week after the trade and should be raring to go this week.

NOTABLES

Graham Glasgow in the first drive vs the Texans landed on his head and got up shaking his head. This was not shown on TV but I noticed it at the game. Fortunately, there has been no concussion diagnosis.

Carlton Davis in the 3rd quarter got kneed hard in the back of the right lower leg and limped off the field. This was likely just a contusion as he returned to play. Direct impact to that area can lead to a much worse outcome as we saw with Aidan Hutchinson’s tib/fib.

Alim McNeill appeared to be having right TMJ (temporomandibular joint) pain in the 3rd quarter. I reviewed video of the play as well as multiple previous plays of his and didn’t see any trauma to that area. Possibly, he just bit down hard and injured that joint. He was able to return to the game and should be fine going forward. Most TMJ pains will resolve on their own without significant treatment. Injecting the joint is an option to relieve pain and inflammation.

Terrion Arnold, on the Lions final defensive play, had his right ankle area banged a couple times which left him limping off the field. Good to see him unlisted which means it’s likely just a contusion.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Trevor Lawrence QB (NP) left shoulder

Lawrence missed last game with a non-throwing AC joint sprain and will also miss the Lions game. Mac Jones was 14/22 for 111 yards last game vs the Vikings.

Tank Bigsby RB (NP) ankle

Bigsby is the Jaguars #1 RB this year with 519 yards. He has been having an ankle issue the past 2-3 weeks and aggravated it last game. With an NP, there is a good chance he’ll get some time off which would mean Travis Etienne Jr. (298 yards) likely takes the bulk of the carries.

Brian Thomas WR (LP) chest

Thomas, the Jaguars #1 WR, hurt his ribs two weeks ago but hasn’t missed a game. Expect him to play on Sunday.

NOTABLES

Christian Kirk, the Jaguars 2nd-leading WR, is on IR with a clavicle fracture suffered two weeks ago.

Here is the full report:

 

Lions offer injury updates on Sam LaPorta and Taylor Decker

Lions coach Dan Campbell offers injury updates on Sam LaPorta and Taylor Decker after the Week 10 win in Houston

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell offered up some encouraging health updates on a couple of key Lions offensive players.

In his Monday press conference after the team’s comeback Week 10 win in Houston, Campbell gave vaguely positive status reports on left tackle Taylor Decker and tight end Sam LaPorta. Decker missed Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, while LaPorta left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury of his own.

“Decker’s questionable but trending the right way,” Campbell said of the veteran left tackle. That’s an unofficial status designation by Campbell; the team doesn’t determine an official game status until after Friday’s practice.

Campbell offered a little more detail on LaPorta, leaving his status for the Week 11 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars up in the air,

“Yeah, it’s still – look, it’ll be day-to-day but not – we don’t feel like this is something like, ‘Oh, man, this going to be a long, nagging injury.’ I think we’ll get through it. I’m hopeful this week, but I can’t say that – he’s questionable.”

Lions Monday medical report after the Week 7 win over the Vikings

Lions Monday medical report after the Week 7 win over the Vikings with updates on Montgomery, LaPorta and more

After a brutal game last week vs the Cowboys, the Lions needed a much healthier game this week vs the Vikings and early indications are they got it. Here are the injuries I saw on the initial watch along with suspected diagnoses.

In Dan Campbell’s Monday press conference, he only commented on David Montgomery.

David Montgomery 1q 4:28, left knee contusion

On video, Montgomery’s left knee banged hard on the ground while defenders landed on the back of his knee. He was able to return quickly and finished out the game without any noticeable effect. Landing on his knee like this could cause a patella contusion, prepatellar bursitis, or more severely, a PCL sprain. A meniscus tear is a possibility also.

Dan Campbell on Monday stated “he’s good…. he got kneed in the back of the knee… it’s more like a contusion… nothing should come from this”.

There is a good chance that Montgomery has already had an MRI showing no PCL sprain, meniscus tear, or other abnormalities. A simple contusion is an excellent outcome and Montgomery should be full-go for next game.

Amon-Ra St. Brown 1q 00:10, right knee contusion

St. Brown came up grabbing at his right knee after a catch. Slow-mo video review showed that he didn’t get hurt on the tackle or the fall, but from banging knees with a Viking defender as he was getting up. He didn’t miss any snaps.

Good news that the knee was protectively fully flexed at time of impact making a MCL sprain less likely. Likely this is just a benign contusion and he should be fine for next game.

Josh Paschal 2q 12:38, right elbow

Video showed Paschal landing hard on his right elbow. He returned later in the drive and played the rest of the game with a small elbow pad. The injury may be a simple contusion to the elbow or an olecranon bursitis.

In the 3rd quarter at the 13 minute mark, he went down appearing to have an issue with his left arm. There was no good video here. He was able to return later in the drive and finish out the game.

At this point, I’m not expecting anything serious with Paschal, but the initial injury report on Wednesday will be something to watch.

Sam LaPorta 2q 2:00, right knee hyperextension

After making a catch, LaPorta’s right knee was very slightly hyperextended when he was hit while getting up. He didn’t miss a play. Hyperextensions can cause bone bruises and ligament sprains but the video looked pretty benign. I expect him to be fine vs the Titans.

Recall that last year in the final regular season game, LaPorta had a much more severe hyperextension of his left knee. He played the very next game in the playoffs with a knee brace.

Ben Johnson says Lions still have more tricks up their sleeve after Dallas game

Ben Johnson says Lions still have more tricks up their sleeve after Dallas game

The Lions dominated the Dallas Cowboys Sunday by a score of 47-9. That game included a touchdown that came from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s bag of tricks.

The play started with WR Amon-Ra St. Brown in motion. Quarterback Jared Goff took the snap, then handed off to RB David Montgomery. Monty then handed off to St. Brown who tossed it back to Goff. Goff then launched deep and found TE Sam LaPorta for a 52-yard score that helped give the Lions a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter.

You might think the bag is empty for the Lions and Johnson, but as Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend.”

“Oh yeah,” Johnson said when asked if there are trick plays from games they did not use. “Each and every week we stock up, and so that’s been constant. It just so happened last week that we wanted to unload them.”

That was just one of a handful of trick plays the Lions tried against the Cowboys. They also tried throwing a pass to OT Taylor Decker, ran a hook a ladder to OT Penei Sewell and had OT Dan Skipper run routes as a wide receiver.

Johnson had this to say about preparing all those trick plays: “It was one of the things that we talked about last week, what is our identity, and one of those three was being detailed, and that’s something springtime, training camp, up until now that we are very demanding out of our players. Really every position group and so when we are like that, you get into a game week, and we have more volume, or we have nuances that maybe we don’t get a ton of reps on. They have to decipher it and handle it, and they do a great job of it. That combined with some of them are for premier looks and if we don’t get that look, we get out of it. I mean, go back a couple weeks ago when we called the pass to Jared (Goff), I want to say Houston ran the same play but it wasn’t quite a premier look in my opinion, and so – I think (Texans WR) Stefon Diggs had to run for the touchdown when they did it. So, we do have some elements of that where we have to get the right look. We’re not just calling plays to call plays because we think they look cool. It’s really by design and intent and then our guys carry it the rest of the way.”

The Lions tried using Decker as an eligible receiver during last year’s meeting in Dallas, but according to the officials, Decker never reported as eligible, wiping out the two-point conversion attempt. Detroit got their revenge and then some. And while those plays are now on film, Johnson is not worried.

“This game’s been around for a long time and our challenge as a coaching staff,” Johnson said. “And I say it to the offensive staff quite a bit, is we can run a million different types of plays and because of that, I don’t like to run the same one twice. I don’t like to do it within a game, I don’t like to do it within a season. We certainly do have some staples that I will repeat at times, but we’re charged with let’s have a little creativity. Defenses, they’re doing their film study, they’re looking at things, they’re finding, ‘Hey out of this formation, they’re doing this, that and the other.’ And we try to mix it up. So, from that regard, I’m not worried about putting things on tape. If anything else, it’s just going to help set up the next thing down the road, and yeah, the well is deep in terms of the thoughts.”

The Lions could very well break out another fun play this week in what is now a huge divisional game against the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings for first place in the NFC North.