If it felt like Jared Goff was facing a lot of blitzes last season as Detroit’s quarterback, your eyes weren’t deceiving you. Goff and the Lions saw extra pass rushers a lot in 2023.
From NFL Inside Edge, the Lions did indeed face more blitzes than any other team. The Lions saw 230, nine more than the Chargers and over 100 more than the teams at the bottom.
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There are a couple of factors that play into the amount of blitzing. First is the Lions’ outstanding offensive line. The Detroit line was one of the best in pass blocking efficiency when facing only four rushers. Note that most of the teams in the top-5 also had very solid offensive lines last year, notably the Chargers and Vikings.
Secondly, Goff thrived when not under pressure but was ranked in the 20s (it varies depending on the source) when under pressure, and blitzing was often the only way to get pressure on Goff behind that great O-line.
Even with the heavy blitzing, Goff still had the third-lowest sack rate (4.7%) of any regular starting quarterback in 2023, behind only Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.