Saturday night’s NFC Divisional Round game between the Washington Commanders and the Detroit Lions is shaping up to be a tremendous contest. After the Commanders took a 10-7 lead, the Lions drove right down the field to retake the lead 14-10, midway through the second quarter.
But how they reached the end zone is worth another look.
With the Lions facing 1st and goal deep in Washington territory, Ben Johnson called for a jumbo package, bringing in Dan Skipper as an extra offensive lineman for Detroit. But as Johnson has been known to do with Skipper in the game, he called for a pass, as Skipper already has a touchdown reception on the season. The play even had Skipper as one of the primary options for Jared Goff on the play, running a crossing route from left to right.
However, Washington was ready, and Skipper was well covered on the play. Goff got to a secondary option, tight end Sam LaPorta, who delivered a tremendous diving catch in the end zone:
As Tom Brady noted in the broadcast booth, Skipper was actually double-covered on the play, bracketed by linebackers Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu. That forced Goff to look for LaPorta along the back of the end zone.
Here is another look at LaPorta’s incredible catch:
There is a long way to go in this game, as well as the NFL Playoffs on the whole. But this catch from LaPorta might be the catch of the postseason.
