National Football League

Lions' Frank Ragnow suffers knee, ankle sprains; Expected to play vs. 49ers

Published Jan. 22, 2024 5:11 p.m. ET

Frank Ragnow suffered multiple sprains during the Detroit Lions' divisional-round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, yet the center didn't miss a single offensive snap.

It turns out, in fact, that Ragnow sprained his knee and ankle, NFL Media reported. Still, Ragnow isn't expected to miss the NFC title game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).

Sunday's tilt wasn't the first time that Ragnow had played through an injury. He fractured his throat during a game in 2020, finishing out the game before missing two contests. He returned for the Lions' regular-season finale that season. Ragnow has also played with a toe injury — one that has been inoperable — over the last two seasons. Earlier this season, Ragnow suffered a torn meniscus but only missed one game in December after surgery.

Despite these mounting injuries, Ragnow has played at the top level. He didn't allow a single pressure in his first game back from the meniscus injury in December and gave up just two pressures in Sunday's game, per Pro Football Focus.

Ragnow's toughness and talent have earned the 27-year-old respect in the Lions' locker room throughout his six-year career. Sunday was just the latest reason why Ragnow's become a beloved member of the Lions.

"Frank's a stud," Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters following Sunday's game. "You know, that's what he does. He's willing to lay it on the line, and he's not going to miss it. We talk about it all the time … you may not be 100 percent, but if you feel like you can produce and you can win at 80 percent of yourself — and it's what Frank does. He believes he can, and he trusts himself, and he trusts those guys next to him.

"There's nothing easy about that. Not everybody can do it … but he can. And, he helped us win today."

Campbell continued to praise Ragnow when he spoke with reporters on Monday, sharing how the veteran center typically likes to be prepared sooner than most players.

"Frank prides himself on the mental side of the game," Campbell said. "He'll [say], ‘Give me the game plan early. Give it to me early.' There are times [when] we don't have it spit out yet and it's 4:30 in the morning, and he's on one of your young coaches [saying], ‘I need this thing, now.'

"It's one of the reasons why he's arguably the best center in the league. He is the best center in the league, in my opinion. He does a great job."

Ragnow was named an All-Pro for the second time in his career and a Pro Bowler for the third time in his career this season. The talent is acknowledged by Ragnow's teammates, but it's his toughness that stands out to them. Left tackle Taylor Decker was emotional when speaking to reporters Sunday about Ragnow's ability to play through injury.

"The dude's just a warrior, man," Decker said. "He's been through it. He's been through it personally, he's been through it with us as a team. The guy's a warrior and there was never a doubt when he got banged up today that he was going to keep playing, keep fighting.

"It just seems like he's always fighting through, banged up all the time. I don't want to speak for him, but it's like a little bit of him is paranoid not to be out there with us. We've been through so much together, so we know if he can be out there, he's gonna be out there. Not only that, he's the best center in football."

'He's the best center in football' — Lions' Taylor Decker on Frank Ragnow

Ragnow told reporters that he was frustrated at first when the injury happened during the second quarter of Sunday's game, saying, "The fact that it's just again, you know? It was tough. But it was worth it."

When asked where he gets his strength from, Ragnow wasn't entirely sure, but he knows what his motivation is.

"I don't know, my dad was one of the toughest people I've ever met, my mom is one of the toughest people I've ever met, and I just take a lot of pride in being out there with the guys, being out there for the city," Ragnow said Sunday. "They signed me to the extension a few years ago, and I want to be fulfilling that. I don't want to be the guy who gets paid and is not doing that stuff. I want to be out there, and finding a way to win."