Jared Goff Is NFL's Best Quarterback When Unpressured

Why Detroit's revamped offensive line needs to gel quickly.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has the potential this season to have a career year playing with what is expected to be a top offensive line unit in the National Football League.

The evidence is clear. When the 29-year-old has time to survey the field and find his weapons, he is the top signal-caller in the league.

ESPN NFL writer Bill Barnwell recently discussed superlatives for each NFC squad.

According to Barnwell, "After more than 4,400 pass attempts as an NFL quarterback, the book on Goff is clear. Let him get in rhythm and give him an offense that can attack the middle of the field and he will look like Joe Montana. At his best, he is an incredibly accurate passer with the ability to both anticipate receivers coming free while throwing them open. More often than not over the past two seasons, that's the quarterback he has been."

Goff's QBR is drastically different when he is under pressure.

Jared Goff QBR + Rank

No pressure | Under pressure
2018 79.9 (5) | 11.0 (25)
2019 64.5 (24) | 10.4 (20)
2020 70.1 (19) | 6.5 (28)
2021 61.5 (21) | 9.8 (28)
2022 75.0 (5) | 25.2 (15)
2023 78.9 (1) | 10.0 (24)

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) May 14, 2024

"When Goff doesn't have time to throw, well, he's not that. Every quarterback gets worse when they're under pressure -- and the Lions have a great offensive line -- but he falls off more than most when under duress," Barnwell explained. "He was the league's best quarterback when unpressured last season, but that fell to 24th when he had a defender in his face. That's a trend that has stuck around since his days in Los Angeles."

Detroit revamped their offensive line following the conclusion of the 2023 season. Jonah Jackson departed in free agency and veteran right guard Kevin Zeitler was signed after spending three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Lions' offensive line was led by the tackle tandem of Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, who posted Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grades of 79.4 and 79.2, respectively. Sewell allowed just 25 pressures and one sack in total, including the team's playoff games.

Goff recently signed a four-year, $212 million extension that runs through 2027 and has an option for the 2028 season.

In 2023, the veteran signal-caller threw for 4,575 yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He completed 67.3 percent of his passes last year.

Additional reading

1.) 7 Offensive Free Agents Lions Could Still Target

2.) Amon-Ra St. Brown Proved He Is More Than Just Slot Receiver

3.) Burning Questions: Who Is Lions' Most Important Player?