On Wednesday (Aug. 13), the Detroit Lions took all the spotlight from the Miami Dolphins in their joint practice, dominating their defense with an electric offense. It was a lopsided show, to say the least. But it became a fuel for Miami to come back on Day 2 even stronger and shock Detroit to the core, all of this as injuries pile up on the Lions’ roster day after day. On Thursday, Miami flipped the script. From the moment the 7-on-7 period began, the Lions were met with aggressive coverage, quick closes on the ball, and sideline energy that told you this was a response day.

Miami didn’t take long; the first snaps set the tone. It started with two quick passes from Jared Goff that went nowhere, swallowed up almost immediately by the Miami defenders. The next two throws sailed incomplete to Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond. Miami’s sideline was disrupted play after play, feeding a defense that had been stung and dominated just 24 hours earlier. However, the Lions finally broke through late in the drill, when Goff connected twice with Amon-Ra St. Brown for touchdowns on the final two reps.

But those scores came after six snaps of frustration, and by then, Miami had already won the morning’s momentum battle. Yet, one news shifted all the focus from the players on the pitch to one player who wasn’t on it. Sam LaPorta, the Lions’ All-Pro tight end and one of the NFL’s most productive young pass-catchers, had been missing from drills. Head coach Dan Campbell spoke to reporters, and he confirmed the reason: “LaPorta will be down, nothing major, but he will miss a little bit of time here. We’re pretty good, though.” 

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His injury? Campbell stayed silent on that part. The HC offered no specifics on the injury, calling it “not serious” but stopping short of giving it a timetable. The message was clear: the team is being careful with one of its most important offensive pieces. And if it turns out to be more serious than expected, the consequences could be dire for the Lions. In just two seasons, LaPorta has already become a central figure in Detroit’s attack. His rookie year was historic: he had 86 catches for 889 yards and scored 10 touchdowns in 17 games in his rookie season in 2023. And he was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl. Following this, he had 60 catches for 726 yards and scored 7 touchdowns in 16 games in 2024.

For a QB like Jared Goff, Sam LaPorta isn’t just another target. He’s a rhythm-setter in the short-to-intermediate passing game, a matchup nightmare for linebackers and safeties, and a reliable third-down option. Removing that from practice, even briefly, forces the offense to rewire its reads and timing. But his absence wasn’t the only alarm for the Lions. As the 2 days of joint session with the Phins gave Dan Campbell a quick insight into his offense’s pressure points.

The ups and downs of Jared Goff’s joint session against the Phins’ D

Jared Goff’s Thursday at Lions-Dolphins joint practice was a mixed bag. In the day’s first situational drill, the Lions’ offense marched from midfield to Miami’s 19-yard line on completions to Shane Zylstra (twice), Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jameson Williams. St. Brown’s clutch 20-yard grab on 3rd & 16 capped the drill. But with two seconds left, Goff’s final shot to St. Brown in the end zone fell incomplete, giving the Dolphins’ defense the win.

That wasn’t the last word, though. Early in a mid-practice period, Goff dropped back and uncorked a deep ball to Williams, who torched two defenders. Including former Lion Ifeatu Melifonwu, with whom he’d had a heated run-in the day before. Williams made sure to remind Melifonwu who won this round. Later, in the red zone, Goff caught fire with three straight touchdown passes to St. Brown, David Montgomery, and Williams… And that was the rubber stamp. After all, that’s the efficiency that made Detroit the league’s No. 3 red zone passing attack in 2024.

And that’s the thing with Goff…. The résumé speaks loudly. Coming off a season with 4,629 yards, 37 touchdowns, just 12 picks, and a 111.8 passer rating… The four-time Pro Bowler has proven he can deliver in high-leverage moments. One choppy joint practice won’t erase that. But it’s also a reminder that even top-tier quarterbacks take their lumps in August before the real games begin.