Sunday was already going to be a big day for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thanks to the return of the creamsicle uniforms, but things got even more interesting thanks to how the season started.
Tampa Bay comes into Week 6 in first place and owners of a 3-1 record. Detroit comes to town with a 4-1 record and in first place in the NFC North, which makes this only the seventh time in history that the two teams are meeting with winning records.
It's also an unlikely meeting of first place teams and a potential playoff preview.
Detroit is already without some key players, but a new injury scare flared up late in the week that threatened that status of yet another. Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta missed practice on Thursday after suffering a calf strain, something that didn't bode well for his availability for Sunday.
A soft tissue injury is bad enough, but having it happen so late in the week put the Lions in a pretty bad spot.
Is Sam LaPorta playing vs. Buccaneers in Week 6?
Things weren't serious enough for the Lions to rule LaPorta out ahead of time, which ended up being the case for guys like Jahmyr Gibbs and Brian Branch. A crucial point in the injury timeline is Saturday, as that's when the best possible indication of a player's status is known.
For LaPorta, the first hurdle he cleared was not being ruled out ahead of the rosters being submitted. Some more good news came on Sunday morning.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, LaPorta is expected to play against the Bucs although he carries a 'questionable' injury designation.
Lions’ rookie TE Sam LaPorta is expected to play today vs. Tampa, per @JeffDarlington.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 15, 2023
Tampa Bay had some injury concerns of its own, with Mike Evans looking questionable with a hamstring injury. Evans missed the rest of the Bucs Week 4 win over the Saints after leaving prior to halftime and had the Bucs not been on a bye last week he probably wouldn't have played.
Evans was given the green light on Friday, though, with Todd Bowles saying he's a 'full go' for Sunday.