After a fairly slow start to his second season, Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta had a late resurgence with 29 receptions for 335 yards and two touchdowns over the final five regular season games. That stretch accounted for nearly half of his catch (60) and yardage (726) totals for the season.

If nothing else, LaPorta’s late surge was good momentum to carry into the playoffs. About halfway through the second quarter, with the Lions driving to answer the Commanders’ touchdown that gave them a 10-7 lead, Jared Goff connected with LaPorta in the end zone to give Detroit the lead back.

That’s not really a complete description of the play. LaPorta actually offered a new catch of the year candidate, diving to make a one-handed grab.

On the play the Commanders also double-covered Lions offensive tackle Dan Skipper (No. 70), who ran a route and was clearly “eligible” on the play (IYKYK), which helped leave an open window in the end zone for Goff to lead LaPorta into with the throw.

Goff also deserves a lot of credit for making the throw with pressure closing in on him like it was.

Sam LaPorta’s one-handed touchdown catch is best appreciated in still-frame

LaPorta’s touchdown catch was obviously impressive any way you view it, live, on a replay, on a replay loop, etc. But the angle from the back of the end zone, in a still-frame, is something to behold.

LaPorta has been a reliable target for Goff since arriving as a rookie in 2023, with 18 career touchdowns (regular season and playoffs) entering this year’s playoffs. From here on out over what seems sure to be a very long NFL career, likely as one of the best tight ends in the league, he probably won’t ever quite match the difficulty and sheer artistry of his touchdown catch on Saturday night.