3. C Frank Ragnow
Ragnow is set to return to action after missing Week 4 with a partially torn pectoral. If he had his way he wouldn't have missed even that one game, but the bye week spent rehabbing has helped him be healthy enough to go against the Cowboys.
With the pieces the Cowboys will be missing from their pass rush this week (Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland), defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer will have to get a little more creative than he already might to generate pressure on Jared Goff.
Going back to when Zimmer was the Vikings' head coach, Ragnow has seen what Zimmer can throw at a protection scheme as the proverbial "Godfather of the A-Gap blitz". On Thursday, via Tim Twentyman of Lions.com, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson spoke about the importance of having Ragnow back this week.
"He's got a lot of experience against this type of scheme," Johnson said of Ragnow. "Before I even was here, he was going against Zimmer's defense (in Minnesota), so he knows what issues that particular scheme can bring up. It's interesting, Year 1 for them in this scheme, how much is going to dive back into his Minnesota years, but that's where we have a little bit of familiarity with him, particularly with Frank because he's been able to see all of this. And so, he knows exactly what we want to do."
Ragnow's status as the league's best center is rooted in three equal folds: physically superior, mentally acute and tougher than a two-dollar steak. As the literal centerpiece of the Lions' offensive line, he's impossible to totally replace (even if Graham Glasgow does so very well when called upon).
Keeping Goff clean in the face of what'll likely be a blitz-heavy gameplan and creating space for the ground game starts with Ragnow on Sunday. As it usually does, but there's an extra layer of importance this week facing a defensive mind who's very well-known to the Lions' center.