George Kittle-Sam LaPorta matchup sets stage to represent Tight End University in Super Bowl LVIII

The San Francisco 49ers hosting the Detriot Lions for the NFC Championship game on Sunday means no matter the outcome, Iowa, a.k.a Tight End U, will have representation in Super Bowl LVIII. The Lions cleared tight end Sam LaPorta for the Sunday night kickoff and they’ll face off against the 49ers and George Kittle. Former Hawkeyes standouts-turned-NFL stars, Kittle and LaPorta each finished second on their teams in receiving yards during the regular season.

Alas, only one of them will make it into the big game. San Francisco plays host this weekend after topping the Packers 24-21 last week. The Lions are attempting to win their first road playoff game since the last time they won the Super Bowl in 1957. Since then, Detroit is 0-11 in road playoff games. They beat the Rams 24-23, then the Buccaneers 31-23 to advance to the conference championship.

The Lions’ second-round pick at No. 34 overall, LaPorta is having a rookie-of-the-year type season. He has 98 catches, 968 yards and 11 touchdowns. His touchdowns leads the league’s tight ends this season.

On the opposing sideline on Sunday will be veteran George Kittle. The 49ers star leads the league’s tight ends in yards this season with 1,101 yards. He had four catches for 81 yards and a touchdown last week against the Packers. San Francisco snagged him with a fifth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. This was his third season breaking 1,000 receiving yards.

49ers star Deebo Samuel cleared for Sunday

The San Francisco 49ers will have wide receiver Deebo Samuel available on Sunday against the Lions. The team’s third-leading receiver this season suffered a shoulder injury in the team’s 24-21 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. Before his exit from the game, he had two catches for 24 yards.

Having him available is huge for San Francisco. The 49ers have not won a game this season that Deebo Samuel didn’t complete and they’ve also seen notable dropoffs in scoring without him.

Against the Packers, the 49ers evaluated Samuel for a concussion but he was able to return after getting looked over. He then left due to the shoulder injury. Luckily, San Francisco eked out the win without him as Jordan Love threw an interception to Dre Greenlaw on the Packers’ final drive of the game.

This season, the former South Carolina star put up 60 catches for 892 yards and seven touchdowns. He added another five touchdowns on the ground with 225 rushing yards. Two of the 49ers pass-catchers finished the regular season with 1,000 yards – Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle.