If the Chicago Bears want to finally break through to the playoffs after seven years, they must navigate the NFL's toughest division. Last year, three teams from the NFC North made the postseason. All three had at least 13 wins. At the head of the pack were the Detroit Lions, winners of 15 games. Nobody expected things to change much going into 2025. Most of their roster is intact. If anything, they should be stronger with several key defensive players returning from injuries. However, things took a dark turn for the Lions with breaking news on Monday.
Frank Ragnow, their four-time Pro Bowl center, announced his retirement at just 29 years old.
People cannot overstate how significant this development is. Ragnow is one of the best centers in the NFL. He was the straw that stirred the drink for Detroit's dominant offensive line play. He had he second-highest run-blocking grade in the league last season and has been a stalwart in pass protection most of his career. This explains why the Lions needed to draft interior offensive lineman Tate Ratledge in the 2nd round. It's possible they knew Ragnow's decision was coming.
The Chicago Bears should benefit from that loss.
One of the primary reasons they struggled to beat Detroit in recent years was the inability to stop their ground game. The Lions racked up 194 yards and 146 yards, respectively, on the ground in their two meetings last season. Ragnow was a primary reason for that. His exit, combined with the return of Andrew Billings and the arrivals of Grady Jarrett and Shemar Turner, should give the Chicago Bears a much better chance of controlling the line of scrimmage this time. Losing Ragnow is equivalent to the Bears losing Olin Kreutz all those years ago. The odds of Detroit escaping this unscathed are practically non-existent, especially after already losing their offensive coordinator to a head coaching job.
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