Are the Lions Being Sabotaged From Within? Graham Glasgow and Tate Ratledge Blow Protection So Bad It Looks Intentional
The Detroit Lions entered this season with lofty expectations. After a breakout year and one of the strongest finishes in franchise history, fans and analysts alike expected Detroit to take the next step and emerge as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. But after yesterday’s ugly offensive showing, serious questions are surfacing—not just about execution, but about whether there’s a deeper, more fundamental issue within this team’s structure. And one moment, in particular, has fans and critics alike in an uproar.
The play in question was as blatant as it gets. Both Graham Glasgow and Tate Ratledge missed their assignments in the A-gap so egregiously that the quarterback was nearly taken down for a safety. To the untrained eye, it might’ve looked like a simple mental error or communication breakdown. But to anyone who understands basic offensive line play, this was a disaster—and not just a minor one. It was the kind of failure that sparks questions of competence and cohesion at the most fundamental levels of a football team.
Glasgow was supposed to be the answer at center. After struggling at left guard during the second half of last season, many in the Lions fan base welcomed the move back to center, believing it would rejuvenate his play and bring stability to the interior line. After all, center is his natural position and where he previously flashed the intelligence and leadership necessary to command an NFL offensive line. But yesterday, all that hope seemed to disappear in a blink.
Instead of leading the line, Glasgow looked lost. On multiple plays, his footwork was off, his awareness lacking, and—most alarmingly—his physicality diminished. The missed A-gap protection wasn’t just a one-off. It was symptomatic of a larger problem: Graham Glasgow is not playing like a starting-caliber center in the NFL right now. Whether it’s age, confidence, or simply not being the same player anymore, the facts are hard to ignore. He looked overwhelmed and out of sync—everything a center cannot be.
And Tate Ratledge didn’t help matters. The rookie, touted as a mauler and physical presence coming out of college, looked hesitant and unsure in pass protection. On the play that nearly resulted in a safety, Ratledge’s eyes were in the wrong place, and his body followed. Instead of anchoring and reacting to the defensive front, he drifted, allowing a free rusher up the gut. For a rookie, growing pains are expected. But this wasn’t a minor mistake. This was a critical breakdown at the goal line—one that could’ve changed the momentum of the entire game.
So the question must be asked: is this a coordinator issue, or is this a personnel issue?
On paper, the Lions’ offensive line is supposed to be one of their strengths. With Pro Bowl-caliber talent at both tackle spots and a mix of veteran presence and youth inside, this line was supposed to set the tone every week. But what we’re seeing now tells a different story. Either the coaching staff is failing to prepare these players, or the players themselves simply aren’t capable of executing at the level expected of them.
Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator hailed as one of the most innovative young minds in the league, has to take some accountability here. If players are repeatedly missing assignments—especially simple protection calls up the middle—that’s a reflection of coaching. Assignments, communication, and preparation start with the coaching staff. If Glasgow and Ratledge were confused or misaligned, why? Was the protection scheme too complex? Was it communicated poorly? Or is Johnson simply overestimating what this personnel group can handle?
But it’s too easy to throw this all at the feet of the coordinator. At some point, professional football players have to execute. And when you have a veteran like Glasgow and a young, promising guard like Ratledge both failing to pick up a basic A-gap rush, it starts to look less like scheme and more like a problem of talent and readiness.
This is especially concerning because the A-gap is the heart of pass protection. You can’t survive in the NFL giving up pressure up the middle. It’s the fastest path to the quarterback and the most disruptive place to allow penetration. And it’s not like this was an exotic blitz or a deceptive stunt. This was straight-up man protection, and both players whiffed. There’s no sugarcoating it.
What’s more frustrating for Lions fans is the trend line. Glasgow’s second-half play last year showed signs of wear and inconsistency. He was routinely overpowered and struggled with quick interior rushers. Moving him back to center was supposed to fix that. But after yesterday’s game, it’s clear the problems may not have been about position—they may have just been about performance. Maybe Glasgow just isn’t the player he used to be. And if that’s the case, the Lions have a serious problem at one of the most important positions on the field.
Center is not just about blocking. It’s about identifying defensive fronts, setting protection schemes, and being the quarterback of the offensive line. If your center is unsure, it radiates confusion to the rest of the line. And that’s exactly what we saw. Ratledge looked unsure. The line looked disjointed. And the result was nearly a disaster.
This goes beyond one play. It’s about what that play represents. The Lions aren’t just making mistakes—they’re making the kinds of mistakes that point to deeper structural issues. That kind of missed assignment isn’t just about a lapse in judgment. It’s about trust, communication, and preparation. And right now, it looks like the Lions are failing in all three areas.
If Glasgow continues to struggle, the Lions have a hard decision to make. Do they keep hoping for a turnaround, or do they admit the experiment failed and start looking at alternatives? And what about Ratledge? Do they let him grow through the mistakes, or is he not ready for this level yet?
There’s also a cultural element here. The Lions have prided themselves on being gritty, tough, and physical up front. That identity is what helped drive their resurgence. But when the interior line starts caving in and missing basic assignments, that identity starts to crack. You can’t be the tough, smashmouth team when you’re getting bullied at the point of attack. And yesterday, that’s exactly what happened.
Some might argue it’s just one game, one play. But that’s the kind of thinking that gets teams in trouble. Championship-level teams address problems before they snowball. And if the Lions are serious about contending, they need to take a hard look at what happened in that A-gap.
Because right now, it doesn’t look like a minor mistake. It looks like a symptom of something bigger—something that could derail a season with sky-high expectations.
Maybe it’s time the Lions stopped looking at their offensive line as a strength and started asking if it’s actually a liability. Maybe Glasgow isn’t the answer at center. Maybe Ratledge isn’t ready. And maybe, just maybe, the problems on this offensive line are deeper than anyone’s willing to admit.
Either way, one thing is clear: if this team keeps letting free rushers through the A-gap like that, they won’t be making any Super Bowl runs. They’ll be lucky just to keep their quarterback upright.
