Sam LaPorta shows a last-second tweak for TD catch against the Rams.

Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta was unsure whether he would be able to play against the Rams on Sunday due to his knee ailment.

Despite initial doubts, he took the field and scored a touchdown. LaPorta told Kyle Meinke of MLive.com that he altered from the intended play because he found himself crowded at the line and originally not open. Instead, he went to the middle of the end zone, a decision based on a conversation during the Friday red-zone practice two days before the game.

During the red-zone practice, Jim Hostler, a pass-game coordinator who usually works with tight ends, whispered to LaPorta about other options if the initial route failed. “Fridays are our red zone day,” LaPorta explained. “So Jim Hostler, one of our pass-game coordinators who works a lot with the tight ends, is in our room very often. He basically intimated to me, ‘If you don’t receive the ball on the first route, what do you think you’re going to do?’ I was like, “I guess I never thought of that, Hos.” I will probably tuck it in. He says, ‘Yeah, that’s fantastic.’ But sure, he just said it to me and gave me a small indication.”

Unfortunately for the Rams, that is exactly what happened, as quarterback Jared Goff spotted LaPorta and connected with him for a fourth-down score in the end zone. LaPorta acknowledged the good execution by praising Hostler on the sidelines.

“Then of course the first person I see on the sideline is Hos, looking at me out of the side of his eye,” he said. “I was just like, ‘It was just like you said, Hos.'” LaPorta’s status is uncertain as the Detroit Lions prepare to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional round coming Sunday at 12 p.m. PT, but the Lions are hopeful he will play another game and have a similar impact in the postseason.