How will the Lions interior offensive line perform without Frank Ragnow?
Frank Ragnow, the 2023 2nd-team All-Pro center, strained his left pec last game and is out for Monday night. It’s not expected to be a long-term issue but even a short-term loss to one of the NFL’s best centers is a big deal.
While it was not officially announced who will be starting at center, Jared Goff’s words suggest that Graham Glasgow will be moving from LG to C. This means two of the three spots along the interior line will be different.
The likely candidates to fill in at LG are Kayode Awosika, a 4th-year player who has started six games in his career, including last year’s conference championship, and Michael Niese, a 2nd-year player with no starts.
For a team that has struggled a bit with interior offensive line pass protection even when all starters were healthy, the performance with backups will be key. Can the interior offensive line protect Goff and open up holes in the running game?
What may help balance out the loss of Ragnow is that the Seahawks will be missing four impact players along the front seven – Leonard Williams DE, Byron Murphy DT, Boye Mafe LB, and Uchenna Nwosu LB.
Can the Lions pass defense compensate for the unexpected loss of Brian Branch?
After a stellar rookie year at nickel CB, Branch has made an excellent transition to the safety position this year being one of the NFL leaders in pass breakups. He suffered a concussion last game but passed through the 5-step concussion protocol and was ready to play. However, a surprise illness on Sunday gave Branch a “doubtful” designation which almost guarantees he will miss the Seahawks game.
Brandon Joseph, an undrafted 2nd-year player who has only appeared in five NFL games logging a total of five defensive snaps, figures to take Branch’s place. How he performs in his first extended action will be something to watch. The next man up after Brandon Joseph is Loren Strickland, an undrafted rookie who has yet to play a defensive snap.
Geno Smith and the talented Seahawks WR group of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will certainly test the fledgling backup Lions safety. Last year against the Lions, Smith went 32/41 for 328 yards and 2 TD’s. Can the Lions limit the Seahawks passing game this year?
In the Lions favor, the Seahawks will be playing their 3rd-string RT Stone Forsythe after George Fant was placed on IR earlier in the week. Fant was filling in for original starter Abe Lucas who has been on the PUP list all year.
If Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions pass rush can take advantage with quick pressures on Geno Smith, that will go a long ways in compensating for the loss of Branch.