KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It’s tough for Detroit Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta to keep track of the funny one-liners he’s heard from coach Dan Campbell, but one thing stuck ahead of his NFL debut.
“He was talking about how Arrowhead was built by the football gods and it’s just like something you’ve got to experience once,” LaPorta said. “So, it’s cool that I get to do it my first game.”
LaPorta was one of a number of talented young players under the age of 25 who made their presence felt in Detroit's 21-20 win over the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, including rookie defensive back Brian Branch, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, linebacker Jack Campbell and LaPorta.
Detroit’s average age is 26.9 years old, which is tied for the eighth youngest in the league, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. They also have seven players under 24 years old, which is tied for the fourth-most in the NFL.
“It certainly will help. I think there’s a few things that came out of that were encouraging. One of them is I didn’t feel like any of our pups, that it was too big for them,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Friday. “I felt like when they settled down, the stage wasn’t too much for them and that was really encouraging. I really thought all those guys helped us out and had a part in that win.”
LaPorta ended with five catches for 39 yards. Branch took a deflected Patrick Mahomes to the house for a pick-six. Gibbs rushed for 42 yards on seven carries and caught two balls for 18 yards, while Campbell finished with a pair of tackles.
“It felt good to be out there with the gang. Everybody did a great job of executing,” Gibbs told ESPN. “We didn’t start off how we wanted to, but coach [Campbell] says, ‘steady pace wins the race’ so that’s what it came down to.”
Third-year receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, 23, also ended with 71 receiving yards and a touchdown, while second-year edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, 23, had a career-high six QB pressures -- tying him for the most by a Lions player since the start of the 2020 season.
Mahomes was 2-of-6 with two throwaways when Hutchinson recorded the first pressure.
“We’re tired of losing. We’re tired of being on the poor side of things. You walk away from these games and it’s a close game, but we lose, and I think we’re tired of it,” Hutchinson told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt following the win. “Man, I think we’re coming this season. Even though KC was a little short-handed on defense and offense, I don’t care. A win is a win and we’re going to carry this momentum and we’re going to keep going.”