Key Matchup to Watch in Lions-Bears: C Frank Ragnow vs. DL Akiem Hicks
With the Detroit Lions taking on the Chicago Bears Sunday afternoon, it will allow Lions center Frank Ragnow to go head-to-head with Bears interior defensive lineman Akiem Hicks.
It's the biggest one-on-one matchup we're watching this week at SI All Lions.
Ragnow comes into this Week 4 contest as the highest-graded center in the league, per Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Hicks has recorded seven pressures and three quarterback hits through the first three games of the 2021 season. Hicks has also produced half a sack and 10 total tackles.
The 6-foot-4, 335-pound defender is coming off a season in which he put up 49 total tackles, 21 QB hits, seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
He's a menacing presence, and Ragnow understands that he'll be a force to be reckoned with throughout Sunday's NFC North divisional tilt.
“He’s just massive. He can move pretty well. He’s quick. He’s massive,” Ragnow told reporters earlier this week. “He plays hard, and he’s got a lot of moves in his arsenal. So, it’s tough to play against him for sure.”
Ragnow comes into his must-see matchup with Hicks with some solid credentials.
He's graded out as PFF's best run-blocking center through the first three weeks of the season. Additionally, he's allowed four pressures and three hurries up to this point.
The Bears, meanwhile, allowed the Cleveland Browns to rush for 215 yards on 42 carries a week ago. It might be an indication of things to come for the Lions' ground game in this Week 4 matchup, although the Bears permitted less than four yards a carry in each of their first two games of the 2021 campaign, against the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.
This is a perfect example of strength on strength. And, although Hicks can be a dominant force, I think Ragnow gets the best of the Chicago pass-rusher for the majority of the game, continuing his impressive start to the season.
My prediction for Sunday's head-to-head battle between Hicks and Ragnow: Hicks ends up with three total tackles, but just one QB hit, zero tackles for loss and zero sacks.
© Kirthmon F. Dozier via Imagn Content Services, LLC
