Detroit Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta broke several records on Sunday before suffering an injury that kept him out of the game.
LaPorta caught the team's first touchdown of the game and it was his 10th receiving touchdown of the season.
It was his 82nd reception of the season, which broke the single-season record for receptions by a rookie tight end. It beat the previous record of 81 set by Keith Jackson in 1988.
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— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) January 7, 2024
LaPorta had five catches in the game for 70 yards, which brought his total number of catches to 86. That set a new single-season Lions record for receptions by a tight end, previously set by Brandon Pettigrew in 2011 with 83.
His 10 touchdowns is also tied for second-most in the NFL by a rookie tight end with Rob Gronkowski.
The only rookies in the NFL to produce a season with 75+ catches and 10+ receiving touchdowns are Ja'Marr Chase, Odell Beckham Jr. and LaPorta.
Sam LaPorta has been ruled out for the rest of today's game with a knee injury. Here's @wxyzdetroit ground level video of the play. You can see LaPorta grabbing at his knee before going down. pic.twitter.com/mEStKQXjFd
— Jeanna Trotman (@JeannaTrotmanTV) January 7, 2024
However, Sam LaPorta was injured late in the second half on a catch. He hurt his knee and was downgraded to out for the rest of the game.
