Why isn’t Sam LaPorta playing for the Lions against the Cowboys in Thursday Night Football? Detroit TE injury report
The Detroit Lions face a TNF clash against another playoff-chasing team - but their star tight end won’t be involved.
Tight end Sam LaPorta remains unavailable to the Detroit Lions in Week 14 - and is not expected to return to action this season.
What injury does LaPorta have?
LaPorta is on the Lions’ injured reserve (IR) list, having suffered a back injury in the Week 10 victory over the Washington Commanders on Nov. 9.
“Going to be out for a while”
The 24-year-old has since undergone surgery, with Detroit head coach describing the player’s chances of reappearing this season as “very, very slim”.
“Sam did have a procedure and he’s going to be out for a while,” Campbell told reporters on Nov. 21. “A while. I think we would be fortunate to have a chance to get him back for the rest of the season, at some point. I think that’s very, very slim. Good news is the procedure went really well. Long-term.”
Now in his third year in the NFL, LaPorta had been enjoying a productive season. In nine starts, the former Iowa Hawkeye had accrued 40 receptions for 489 yards, 23 first downs and three touchdowns.
Detroit playoff chances on a knife edge
In Laporta’s absence, the Lions have slipped from 6-3 to 7-5 - and their place in the 2025 postseason is in serious doubt. Seeking a third consecutive playoff berth, Detroit heads into Week 14 as the eighth-ranked team in the NFC, with a 42% postseason chance, per the NFL’s ‘playoff probability’ calculator.
And the Lions’ prospects of winning the NFC North - to secure one of the conference’s top four seeds - have dropped to just 6%, according to Pro Football Network’s ‘playoff predictor’. Campbell’s team has won its division in each of the past two seasons, but currently sits third, behind the 9-3 Chicago Bears and the 8-3 Green Bay Packers.
Cowboys vs Lions: when, where, how to watch?
On Thursday Night Football today, Dec. 4, the Lions take on another team hovering on the fringes of the NFC playoff picture: the 6-5 Dallas Cowboys. Held at Detroit’s Ford Field home stadium, the Week 14 matchup is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT.
The game will air nationally on Amazon Prime Video. You’ll also have the option of following live-text coverage right here at AS USA. NFL expert Jen Bubel will be talking you through all the action at Ford Field.
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