Observations: Lions win club-record 12th game, but concern grows for Sam LaPorta

DETROIT -- They won the game, avoided their first losing streak in 14 months heading into the postseason, and gave themselves a shot at the No. 2 seed depending on what happens later today. That surely makes Dan Campbell happy.

What surely won’t: Watching star tight end Sam LaPorta get carted to the locker room just days before the start of the playoffs.

Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a 70-yard touchdown pass, while the two-headed monster of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs added a score apiece in a 30-20 win on Sunday in the regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. And on a day where the Lions kicked things off by raising a banner for their first division title in 30 years, they ended it by celebrating their 12th win of the season, matching a franchise record.

The Lions remain the No. 3 seed heading into the wild-card round of the playoffs, which would pit them against the No. 6 seed at Ford Field. That team is currently the Los Angeles Rams, but the Green Bay Packers also remain in play.

By virtue of the win against Minnesota, Detroit also has a shot at the No. 2 seed, but still requires losses from both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles later today.

If the officiating fiasco hadn’t happened in Dallas last week -- you know the one I’m talking about -- the No. 2 seed would already be wrapped up, guaranteeing a second-round game at Ford Field if the Lions were to advance out of the wild-card round. The officials boned that no matter what the NFL tries to tell you, and it now proves highly consequential. If either the Cowboys or Eagles win today, that call will take a playoff game away from the city of Detroit, and the home-field advantage that comes with it.

Campbell committed to playing his starters against Minnesota to remain in play for the No. 2 seed, no matter how long the odds are. He won a lot of division titles in New Orleans, and believes strongly in the importance of remaining sharp and maintaining momentum through the end of the regular season, despite the obvious risk of injury that comes with that approach.

He suffered the downside of that calculation at the end of the second quarter, losing LaPorta to a knee injury that forced him to be carted to the locker room. That ended a remarkable season for the rookie tight end. His 2-yard touchdown to open the scoring against Minnesota gave him 82 catches on the season, breaking the NFL record for a rookie tight end. Later in the half, he set the Lions all-time record for catches by a tight end no matter the level of experience.

LaPorta is the second-leading pass-catcher in the No. 3 offense in the league, and his departure on a cart is highly concerning with the postseason on deck.

That’s potentially a high price to pay for a 12th win and a shot at the No. 2 seed, but at least the Lions finished the job against Minnesota. St. Brown was a big piece of that.

He was hot about getting snubbed for the Pro Bowl this week -- “I’m pissed,” he told MLive -- and took it out on the Vikings with his best game of the season. He finished with seven catches for 144 yards, 70 of which came on a fourth-quarter play where he got loose behind the defense for a pass up the left sideline, then zig-zagged through three defenders before lowering his shoulder into the end zone. That gave Detroit a 27-13 lead in the fourth quarter, and enough cushion to coast to victory.

Cornerback Cam Sutton intercepted a Nick Mullens pass deep in Lions territory with 3:11 left, ending whatever remained of the Vikings’ chances.

Fittingly enough, Ceedy Duce -- who put himself through hell to get back on the field three months early -- capped his first game back with his first interception of the year, officially ending the Vikings hopes with 2 minutes left.

Let’s get to some more observations:

-- Let’s not mince words. Sam LaPorta just finished off one of the all-time seasons by any first-year tight end in NFL history. He entered the day needing just one catch to break Keith Jackson’s record for catches by a rookie tight end, and of course got there in the end zone, faking like he was going to block before leaking into the paint for a 2-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the first quarter. That gave him 82 catches on the season, something no rookie tight end has ever accomplished in NFL history. He padded his record by catching another four passes against Minnesota, finishing the regular season with 86 catches for 859 and 10 touchdowns, all franchise records for any tight end.

What a feat. Players often say tight end is the toughest non-quarterback position to play for a rookie, because they’re so involved in the passing game as well as the running game. Catching footballs and blocking edge rushers are entirely different skill-sets, and the information that goes with being so involved in the offensive plan can be paralyzing. We’ve seen it before with first-rounders like Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron in this town. Even T.J. Hockenson -- a very good player and two-time Pro Bowler -- didn’t have a rookie season anything like this. Hell, no tight end has ever had a season like this in Detroit. And now just months after being taken in the second round -- a selection that was bemoaned by some fans strung out on high-round draft picks -- LaPorta has cemented his place as one of the all-time rookie greats. There’s just so much Amon-Ra St. Brown in that guy. A polished, reliable player who is always where he’s supposed to be, doing what he’s supposed to be doing, and has earned so much trust from Jared Goff because of it.

All of which makes his knee injury one of the most closely-watched storylines of the next few days. Because without him, this offense will look a whole lot different in the playoffs.

-- Let’s not forget how LaPorta was acquired too, in the trade back for Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of the draft. What a trade that has turned out to be. Not only did they get one of the best rookie tight ends ever, but the most explosive running back in the league too. Gibbs was more slow-starting than LaPorta, but was among Detroit’s best players in the second half of the season. He finished with 30 rushing yards and another touchdown against Minnesota, giving him 10 on the season. Batterymate David Montgomery also bruised his way into the end zone for a score against the Vikings. Both players finish the regular season with 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns, a first in NFL history.

-- LaPorta wasn’t the only player injured against Minnesota. Receiver/punt returner Kalif Raymond suffered a knee injury with 13:08 left in the game and did not return, derailing his best game of the season. Raymond had two brilliant punt returns against Minnesota, including a 42-yarder in the first quarter to help set up LaPorta’s game-opening score.

Slot cornerback Brian Branch also suffered a wrist injury and briefly left the game before returning in the third quarter.

-- On a day when they raised an NFC North championship banner, then raced into the postseason by pummeling Minnesota by double digits, the loudest cheers of the afternoon went to ... Dan Skipper! He’s a backup offensive lineman, but surely you know the name by now. He was one of the guys at the center of the officiating fiasco last week. The referee insists Skipper reported as eligible -- despite Taylor Decker walking up to the referee, saying “report,” and doing the hand gesture to report. The league later tripled-down, issuing a memo to all 32 teams that highlighted Skipper and all the things he did wrong to report as eligible, despite the fact, you guessed it, he wasn’t reporting.

If you think you’re frustrated, imagine being Taylor Decker, who caught what should have been a game-winning score. And paired with the win against Minnesota, should have given the Lions the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Alas.

Campbell spent all week saying he was moving on, but they clearly didn’t, because the Lions had Skipper report as eligible to open the second series against Minnesota -- to monumental cheers from the crowd. Then to open the third quarter, Skipper reported as eligible again -- and this time, he actually ran a route. Jared Goff hit his 6-foot-9, 330-pound target, and Skipper turned upfield for a 6-yard gain that brought the crowd to its feet.

Just imagining the Lions practicing that play all week, knowing what it meant, knowing which finger it was throwing at the officials and league, knowing how it would be celebrated by the crowd on the final day of a special season, is such a treat. And the fact it led to a David Montgomery touchdown run that stretched the Lions’ lead to 20-6 made it that much cooler. Very biased opinion here, but it might have been my favorite play of the season.

-- Aidan Hutchinson is on a heater heading into the playoffs. He’s ranked among the top pressure guys in the league all season, then erupted for three sacks last week in Dallas before wrecking Minnesota too. He sacked Nick Mullens twice, running his season total to 11.5, becoming the youngest Lions player ever to post that kind of number. He also had a big 12-yard tackle for loss on a reverse by Justin Jefferson, which forced Minnesota to settle for a field goal deep in Lions territory, and added a pressure that helped blow up a fourth-and-3 play, killing yet another drive.

-- Speaking of heaters, have you heard of Amon-Ra St. Brown? He fell to the final day of the 2021 draft, then has gone on to rewrite record books every season in Detroit. He set the franchise rookie receiving record in Year 1. By the end of Year 2, he had more catches than any other player in NFL history through two seasons. This week, he was snubbed for the Pro Bowl -- “I was hot,” St. Brown said -- and responded by catching seven passes for 144 yards against Minnesota, 70 of which came on a marvelous catch-and-run for a fourth-quarter score that buried the Vikings in a 27-13 hole. He finished the season with 119 catches overall, the third-best season ever in Detroit, trailing only Herman Moore in 1995 (123 catches) and Calvin Johnson in 2012 (122). Pretty good company.

-- Ceedy Duce (formerly C.J. Gardner-Johnson) made a remarkable return to the field about, oh, three months early. He was supposed to be out until March with a torn pectoral. Instead, he hired a personal trainer to put him through a rigorous rehabilitation process at his home in Florida. That propelled him back onto the field for the regular-season finale, giving him a valuable opportunity to shake off the rust heading into the playoffs. And he wrapped up the day by picking off Nick Mullens on an errant pass with 2 minute left, snuffing out whatever hopes remained for Minnesota.

Duce came off the bench behind Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu, but played extensive snaps in place of Melifonwu. There weren’t many three-safety packages, but that could be something Aaron Glenn is saving for the playoffs. Either way, the Lions have another defensive playmaker back in the fold for the postseason, and a whole new world of lineup opportunities to throw at the Rams or Packers, or whoever else they host next week in an elimination game.

-- The Lions sacked Mullens four times overall, with Jack Campbell and Levi Onwuzurike each chipping in one behind Hutchinson’s two-piece. Campbell enjoyed perhaps his best game yet, leading the Lions in tackles (12) and going unblocked on a first-half sack. Then early in the third quarter, Onwuzurike killed a promising Vikings drive by getting home on third down, his first sack since Nov. 25, 2021. This isn’t what anyone envisioned for the former second-round pick, who was bragging about eating quarterbacks just minutes after the selection. He’s been beset by injuries throughout his career, and has remained largely a nonfactor despite a return to health this year. On Sunday, he delivered his most impactful play to date, offering hope he’s finding his stride heading into the games that matter most.

-- As the Lions head into the playoffs, they’re facing more questions at place kicker. Riley Patterson was benched and eventually cut after missing a second point-after try. Michael Badgley had apparently been outkicking him in practice anyway -- but then in his third game as the new starter, he missed a point-after try too. Badgley has the bigger leg, so at least there’s that. But in the playoffs, where the already-thin margins of victory shrink even more, you can’t help but wonder whether Detroit’s personnel decisions at placekicker could affect how far this team goes.