In the second quarter of the Detroit Lions' eventual divisional-round victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, center Frank Ragnow was rolled up on from behind when quarterback Jared Goff was sacked by Calijah Kancey. It appeared Ragnow may have suffered a serious injury, but he didn't miss a single offensive snap in the 31-23 win.
On Monday, NFL Media reported that Ragnow suffered a sprained knee and sprained ankle vs. the Buccaneers. He is expected to play in the NFC Championship matchup vs. the San Francisco 49ers this week. Ragnow's toughness has been lauded by his teammates.
"The dude's just a warrior man," Lions left tackle Taylor Decker told reporters after Sunday's win, via Fox Sports. "And he's been through it. He's been through it personally, he's been through it with us as a team. The guy is a warrior, and there was never a doubt when he got banged up today that he was just going to keep playing and keep fighting. Because it seems like he's always just fighting through pain. All the time."
Lions head coach Dan Campbell also praised his center.
"It's like, man, you may not be 100%. But if you feel like you can produce and you can win at 80% of yourself -- and that's what Frank does," Campbell said, via NFL Media. "He believes he can. He trusts himself and he trusts those guys next to him."
Ragnow was selected by the Lions with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Arkansas. He is a three-time Pro Bowler, two-time Second Team All-Pro and just played his first two postseason games this month. It's going to take much more than a sprained knee and ankle to keep him off the field.
