Play in the second half of the first half tampa bay buccaneers And that detroit lions On Sunday, local fans feared the worst.
With the Lions holding a 10-3 lead with less than two minutes left in the first half, they faced third and first base near midfield. Detroit tried to pick the ball up in the air instead of running it for a first down. But defensive lineman Kariyah Kancey, who was looking toward Jared Goff for a sack, had other ideas.
Compounding the problem is the fact that Goff rolled behind center fielder Frank Ragnow and remained on the turf, hurting his left knee.
Tampa Bay marched right down the field on the ensuing possession and scored, tying the game and leaving Lions fans at Ford Field and around the world wondering about their Super Bowl dreams.
But there was no need to worry about Ragnow.
Despite dealing with multiple injuries throughout the season, Ragnow didn't miss a single snap. He returned to the field when Goff took a knee at the end of the first half and is expected to be on the roster for Sunday's NFC Championship Game despite suffering a sprained knee and sprained ankle against Tampa Bay. There is.
“That guy is just a warrior,” Lions left tackle Taylor Decker told reporters after Sunday's win. carmen vitali of fox sports. “And he's been through it. He's been through it personally and he's been through it with us as a team. This guy is a warrior and when he got beat up today, There was no question in my mind that he was just going to keep playing and keep fighting, because I feel like he's just fighting through pain all the time. All the time.”
It's impressive enough that Ragnow didn't miss a snap, but you'll remember what he was up against on Sunday.
Vita Vea.
Ragnow was tasked with moving an absolute human mountain for most of the afternoon in the 6-foot-4, 347-pound Bear, one of the NFL's best interior defensive linemen. The two honked the horn frequently Sunday, starting on Detroit's first offensive drive of the game. On this short run of David Montgomery, Ragnow is tasked with “reaching” the direction of the play to Bear, who is lining up in the A-gap. Ragnow gets some help from right guard Graham Glasgow, but ultimately it's up to Ragnow to control the big DT.
Late in the first quarter, the two crossed paths again on a 6-yard run by Jahmil Gibbs. Vere eventually comes off the block thanks to a strong counter move, but Ragnow gets enough to give Gibbs the crease.
It wasn't necessarily Veer that Ragnow was tasked with handling, as some of his most impressive plays were against other defenders. Let's take a look at this play where the Buccaneers put a little pressure on them late in the first half. Just before snap linebacker KJ Britt flashes downhill toward the A-gap on Ragnow's right shoulder. Ragnow has to take the snap, diagnose the blitz, and then anchor against the rushing 235-pound Brit.
Something totally normal. Despite the linebacker's running start, Ragnow managed to anchor Britt and get him to his feet in the hold. Britt managed to chip away and help with the tackle, but fell short after a 4-yard gain from Montgomery.
Ragnow was injured after just two plays, but that didn't prevent him from throwing some key blocks in the second half. Gibbs' 31-yard touchdown run was one of the biggest plays of the game, including Ragnow going upstairs to pave the way.
Just before Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a touchdown pass to give Detroit a 31-17 lead, Gibbs gained 4 yards, giving Detroit a first-and-goal situation at the Tampa Bay 9-yard line. Perhaps the biggest block in that run? Ragnow pulls to the last minute to face Yaya Diaby:
But Ragnow's biggest block definitely came late in the third quarter. With the game still tied at 10-10, the Lions faced fourth and goal at the Tampa Bay 1-yard line. Dan Campbell continued to attack all over the field, and Goff lined up below Ragnow, who was staring at Beer.
Lyons ran right behind Ragnow, who was tasked with stopping Vere. The big defensive tackle did his best to counter Ragnow's initial punch, but the center wasn't going to give up without a fight. Watch as Ragnow manages to re-anchor and give running back Craig Montgomery enough space to cut into the end zone.
It's simply amazing, just needed.
After the game, Campbell praised the center.
“Well, you may not be 100 percent, but if you feel like you can deliver and win with 80 percent of your effort, that's Frank's job,” Campbell said. via nfl media. “He believes he can do it. He believes in himself and he believes in the people next to him.”
In a city known for its horsepower, Ragnow will likely be the driving force behind Detroit's offense. He and the rest of the Lions' offense will face an even tougher test when facing off against the team. san francisco 49ers In the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers are playing a defense with incredibly talented players up front.
But given what he's done all year and what he did Sunday, you can expect Ragnow to rise to the challenge.
