Jared Goff finished the 2022 season with a flourish. The Lions quarterback led the team to an 8-2 finish with smart, efficient play and strong veteran leadership.
Alas, Goff still has some notable issues when he’s under pressure. As has been the case throughout his seven-year NFL career, the drop between Goff when not pressured and when he faces heat from the defenses remains very steep. That remained true even in his impressive second season in Detroit.
Of the 36 quarterbacks who played at least 350 snaps in the 2022 season, Goff was a lot closer to the bottom than desirable when under pressure. Goff’s rankings in various pressure categories, as documented by Sports Info Systems via the 33rd Team.
| Figure | Rank (of 36) | |
| QB Rating | 56.2 | 28th |
| Completion % | 40.2 | 32nd |
| EPA per pressure play | -0.41 | t-22nd |
The good news? Goff faced pressure on just 30.1 percent of his attempts (180 out of 587), one of the lowest rates in the league. By way of comparison, former Lions QB Matthew Stafford faced pressure on 36.8 percent; Chicago’s Justin Fields was pressured on 61.6 percent of his throws.
Goff finished the season without throwing an interception in an exceptional 324 straight passes, the longest in the league and Detroit’s team record. His propensity to throw the ball away while under pressure to avoid either sacks or interceptions helps lower Goff’s completion percentage figure. Goff actually had a lower completion percentage under pressure in those final nine games (38.2) than he did for the full season. That’s a tradeoff the Lions are more than happy to live with from No. 16.
