All signs point toward Sam LaPorta playing Sunday night.
The Lions should have their Pro Bowl rookie tight end on the field for their first home playoff game in 30 years, just a week after LaPorta injured his knee and was carted to the locker room in the regular season finale.
LaPorta put in a full practice on Friday is officially questionable for Sunday night's game against the Rams. His biggest remaining hurdle is waking up without significant swelling and discomfort in his knee Saturday morning.
It's a remarkable turnaround for LaPorta, who was given basically no chance of playing in the immediate aftermath of the injury, which looked ugly on replays. LaPorta himself said Thursday that "it was certainly scary when it first happened." His cleat got stuck in the turf and his left knee bent backward and inward as he was tackled after making a catch.
"I think everybody probably has seen a picture of it," he said. "There was definitely a sigh of relief when I found out structurally everything was good."
LaPorta has been on the mend ever since. He ran routes with Jared Goff and got some blocking reps after practice Thursday and was a full participant on Friday, wearing a bulky brace on the knee. He said Thursday he's been able to "bounce back quickly" and that he's "optimistic" about playing on Sunday.
Campbell said Friday the decision will basically come down to, "what does it look like tomorrow when he wakes up? I know this, he’s gotten better every day."
It would be a game-changer for the Lions if LaPorta is indeed able to go, even if he's compromised. He was the team's second leading receiver this season behind Amon-Ra St. Brown with 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, breaking the NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end.
“He’s been a beast," St. Brown said Thursday. "He shows it on the field every week. He’s reliable. He’s tough. He can do it all, so he’s definitely a big part of this offense and we hope he can be with us on Sunday.”
LaPorta's likely return is even bigger for the fact that the Lions' No. 2 tight end, James Mitchell, has been ruled out for Sunday with a hand injury he suffered in practice earlier this week. Fellow backup tight end Brock Wright, who missed the final three games of the regular season with a hip injury, practiced fully this week and is good to go for Sunday.
Also out for Sunday are receiver and return man Kalif Raymond, who injured his knee in the season finale; cornerback Jerry Jacobs, who suffered thigh and knee injuries this week; and linebacker James Houston, who practiced fully this week but isn't yet ready for game action about four months after fracturing his ankle in Week 2.
Defensive end John Cominsky, who missed last week's game with an illness, was a full practice participant this week and is questionable for Sunday.
Everyone else on the injury report this week is in the clear, including receiver Jameson Williams (ankle), cornerback Cam Sutton (toe/heel) and defensive back Brian Branch (wrist).