NFL Draft

Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs Steal the Show in Lions' Blowout Win vs. Broncos

Detroit's rookie studs made the most of their chance to shine in front of a national audience Saturday night.

Luke Easterling

Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs Steal the Show in Lions' Blowout Win vs. Broncos
Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs Steal the Show in Lions' Blowout Win vs. Broncos /

The Detroit Lions scored six touchdowns Saturday night against the Denver Broncos, and their two star rookies accounted for five of them.

Tight end Sam LaPorta hauled in three of Jared Goff's five touchdown passes, while running back Jahmyr Gibbs found the end zone once on the ground and once through the air en route to a 42-17 blowout victory.

Gibbs racked up 100 yards rushing on just 11 carries, averaging over nine yards per attempt, while LaPorta extended his league-leading mark for touchdown receptions by a tight end this season to nine.

The Lions took plenty of criticism for some of their draft-day decisions back in April, but this class is already delivering in a big way. Gibbs and LaPorta are two of the most entertaining players at their respective positions in the entire league already.

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Luke Easterling
LUKE EASTERLING

Luke Easterling (he/him) has been covering college football and the NFL for more than two decades, with a particular focus on the nexus of both, the NFL Draft. Writing for some of the largest and most recognizable brands in sports media, Luke's experience and expertise in evaluating potential NFL prospects and evaluating team needs/fits has earned the appreciation of his readers, and the respect of his peers. Luke cut his sports journalism teeth at The Tampa Tribune before spending two years at Bleacher Report as a featured columnist covering the NFL Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke then spent nearly seven years at USA TODAY Sports Media Group as editor of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, building both into authoritative destination sites for their respective audiences. Now at The Arena Group, Luke covers the NFL and college football for Athlon Sports, and runs Sports Illustrated's FanNation site for the NFL Draft. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Luke has been a featured guest on ESPN Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, SiriusXM and more.  Based in Tampa, Florida (the true home of the Cuban sandwich), Luke plays the drums, loves 2000s pop-punk, watches way too many British murder mystery shows, and channels the energy of his deep-south Grammy and his full-Italian Nana in the kitchen. Twitter: @lukeeasterling Email: luke.easterling@si.com

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