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Eric Woodyard, ESPN
DETROIT — After a scoreless first quarter between Detroit and Denver, Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta broke the ice at 12:31 in the second quarter with a 19-yard touchdown on Saturday night.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s @Samlaporta for 6⃣#DENvsDET on NFL Network | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/vfnX2or3Dv
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 17, 2023
After making the catch from quarterback Jared Goff, LaPorta made Denver’s inside linebacker Josey Jewell miss on a tackle before finding his way into the end zone to put the Lions ahead 7-0.
LaPorta tied Joseph Fauria’s Lions’ franchise record for a rookie tight end with his seventh receiving touchdown of the season, which was set in 2013. The last rookie tight end with more than seven receiving touchdowns in a season was Hunter Henry, who had eight with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2016.
Detroit stretched its lead to 14-0 about four minutes later on another touchdown pass by Goff, this time for 9 yards to running back Jahmyr Gibbs.