The upcoming Sunday night game between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings is incredibly significant. The winner will secure the No. 1 playoff seed, while the loser will drop to No. 5 and face a tough Wild Card Round on the road. A 14-win Wild Card team may not be ideal, but that’s the reality.
The seed with the best chance of advancing to the Super Bowl is clear, though specific numbers further emphasize the distinction. To determine which Lions players need to step up to defeat the Vikings, we could rank all the players in uniform, but instead, let’s focus on the key players whose performances will be critical.
The pairing of the Lions’ quarterback and center stands out. The Vikings lead the league with the highest blitz rate (38.5 percent), as defensive coordinator Brian Flores challenges both quarterbacks and blocking schemes with his diverse, unpredictable blitzes. Goff and Ragnow are typically in sync when it comes to reading and responding to opposing blitzes. There’s little reason to believe they won’t be on target this Sunday night, but they’ll need to be sharp against Minnesota’s versatile and blitz-heavy defense.
While the Lions have handled Flores’ defense well in the past three encounters, Ragnow is aware that past success isn’t a guarantee for the future.
“You have to be prepared for everything,” Ragnow remarked, via Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket. “I think the biggest thing I try to do is simplify it as much as I can, compartmentalize everything to first- and second-down looks, third-down looks, these boxes, this box, this box, and try to make it as simple as possible — which is harder to do than say.”
More news……
Ex-All-Pro edge rusher Shaq Barrett is returning from retirement, and the Lions are the ideal destination for him; a 2023 signing sheds light on how he could fit in Detroit
Earlier on Thursday, we suggested three veteran players the Detroit Lions might consider adding to their practice squad before the playoffs. Then, the situation changed. The Miami Dolphins are waiving former All-Pro edge rusher Shaq Barrett from the reserve retired list.
Barrett initially joined the Dolphins in the offseason but chose to retire to spend more time with his family. Now, he wants to return from retirement and play this season.
As we noted on Thursday, the Lions are in need of pass rushers. While they are getting pressures, they haven’t been as effective at finishing plays. Barrett could be a potential solution to this issue.
The good news is that while Barrett is subject to waivers, no team is likely to claim him. If a player is waived off the reserve retired list, they are not eligible to play that season. Barrett’s only chance to play this year is if he clears waivers and becomes a free agent. Once that happens, he would be free to sign with any team, and it’s likely that he would want to join a contender.
In this case, Barrett could sign with a team that plans to use him. While the Lions might not start him, he could be a valuable addition to their rotation.
As for whether Barrett would be on the practice squad, that remains uncertain. The Lions would likely sign him and spend some time getting him ready, similar to what they did with Bruce Irvin last season. The practice squad could be an ideal starting point, but Barrett may prefer to be on a 53-man roster. That’s certainly possible for the Lions, as they have two open spots, with one likely going to Jalen Reeves-Maybin, though the other spot is still uncertain.
We’ll see where Barrett ends up, but this situation could unfold quickly. He could be on a roster by the end of the week.
