The Detroit Lions’ 2023 season was unquestionably successful in the first half. With two games in hand over therest of the NFC North, the Lions are tied for the second-best record in the NFL following two 3-1 quartets.
Most Lions fans were pretty optimistic about the team heading into the season. In fact, I had predicted them to be 6-2 at the bye week (as did Erik Schlitt) in our projections back in May.
But even the most optimistic of fans are likely surprised by some of the developments from this team. Not many believed the Lions would be sporting at top-10 defense (by DVOA) at this point in the season. Even fewer expected Alex Anzalone to be one of the best players on that side of the ball through eight games.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
What has been the biggest surprise from the first half of the Detroit Lions’ 2023 season?
My answer: Without a doubt, it’s the start of the season for Sam LaPorta.
Even after a very strong offseason that had me thinking LaPorta could be more impactful than the typical first-year tight end, I don’t think I had anything like this in mind. To give you a sense of how special his rookie season is, his 434 receiving yards already ranks as the 54th-best season for a rookie tight end—that’s if he doesn’t catch a pass for the rest of the year. Even if he gets just 100 more yards, that would catapult him 26th in NFL history—one ahead of the franchise record set by Charlie Sanders in 1968 (533).
The fact remains, nevertheless, that LaPorta’s remarkable season is not fully explained by his reception. In the run game, he’s been a physically demanding, energetic, and successful blocker. Even though he was embarrassed a few times on Monday by Maxx Crosby (who wouldn’t be? ), his run blocking has been far more spectacular than that of some of his predecessors. Overall, it hasn’t been flawless. With at least 100 run blocking snaps, his 63.6 PFF run blocking grade places him eighth out of 38 tight ends.
