By Moses Joshua 
Detroit’s Playoff Slide, Tough Schedule, and Offensive Turmoil Paint a Grim Picture for the Veteran Center’s Comeback
A Holiday Miracle… Followed by a Harsh Reality
On the eve of Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions received what felt like a gift wrapped in Honolulu blue and silver: four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow shocked the football world by coming out of retirement.
Ragnow, who stepped away in June due to injury concerns and the physical toll of seven NFL seasons, reached out to the team “in recent weeks” about returning, according to Taylor Decker. Detroit welcomed the news like a lifeline in a year where injuries have piled up faster than first downs.
But the celebration didn’t last long.
Just one day later, the Lions delivered him a cold dose of reality in the form of their 31-24 Thanksgiving loss to the Green Bay Packers, dropping them to 7-5 and all but extinguishing their hopes for a third straight NFC North crown.
Adam Schefter later reported Ragnow is expected to suit up Week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams, but by then, Detroit’s season may already be hanging by a thread.
A Brutal Stretch Ahead — And No Guarantees
The Lions’ holiday stumble didn’t just sting; it placed their season on life support. To reach the playoffs, Detroit likely needs to win at least four of their final five games. That’s no small task given the schedule ahead.
Up next:
- Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field (Week 14) — a team riding a three-game win streak and fresh off back-to-back wins over last year’s Super Bowl participants. The Lions haven’t looked competitive against elite NFC teams lately, making this matchup a daunting one.
- Los Angeles Rams (Week 15) — Matthew Stafford is playing like an MVP candidate, and if Detroit’s pass rush continues its slump, this game could unravel quickly.
For Ragnow, that means his return game may involve snapping to a struggling offense while trying to fend off Aaron Donald and a rejuvenated Rams front. Not exactly the “welcome back” moment he envisioned.
This Isn’t the Team Ragnow Thought He Was Coming Back To
Detroit’s offensive line has been battered and reshuffled for weeks. Injuries to Christian Mahogany and Graham Glasgow created a black hole of depth in the interior. Ragnow surely recognized the need — and perhaps believed he was the final piece to stabilize a playoff-caliber unit.
But that idealized version of the Lions may no longer exist.
Detroit’s offense has sputtered. Its defense has stalled. And its once-promising playoff path is collapsing in real time.
Plugging Ragnow back in at center, with Glasgow sliding to guard, will absolutely help — but it won’t magically resurrect a team that suddenly looks overwhelmed, inconsistent, and out of sync on both sides of the ball.
If the Lions fall to the Cowboys and slip to 7-6, their division hopes become mathematically hopeless and their playoff chances take another major hit. At that point, Ragnow may find himself asking a difficult question:
Why fight through the injuries he retired to avoid if the team’s playoff run is slipping away anyway?
Did Ragnow Make the Right Call?
Ragnow unretired because he believed the Lions were ready for another deep postseason push. He believed in the trajectory, the locker room, and the ambition of a team coming off back-to-back playoff seasons.
But if Detroit continues this downward spiral, that belief is going to be tested.
Returning to a declining team with major offensive issues and a brutal remaining schedule isn’t the comeback story he — or the fans — envisioned. And if the Lions drop another pivotal matchup, the question becomes impossible to ignore:
Did Frank Ragnow unretire for the wrong season?
Because if the Lions can’t stop the bleeding soon, the veteran center may quickly start questioning whether stepping back onto the field was worth it — and whether staying retired might have been the better call after all.