Jared Goff's struggles under pressure could be key to Buccaneers upsetting Lions in Divisional Round

Jared Goff helped the Detroit Lions end a painful 32-year drought without winning a game during the NFL Playoffs. He did so last weekend with a victory against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round. This has earned the Lions another home game in the playoffs when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional.

Most around the NFL consider the Lions to be relatively big favorites against the Buccaneers this week. The oddsmakers seem to agree as the line is currently set at 6.5 points in favor of the home team. This concept makes sense considering the Lions have been the better team all season long and will play host against the Buccaneers, but one glaring trend could swing it in the other direction.

While Jared Goff has put together a strong 2023 NFL season, he has struggled the most when under pressure from opposing defenses. With head coach Todd Bowles in charge of the Buccaneers' defense, this could be the key to them potentially earning an upset in this matchup. Blitzing has been his signature defensive style, including last week in defeating the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tampa Bay has blitzed opposing quarterbacks on 40% of their defensive snaps during the 2023 NFL season. This is the the third-highest blitzing percentage of any team in the NFL as well as the most by any team that made it to the playoffs this year.

This could play a major role in their game against the Lions, especially considering Jared Goff's struggles against this style of defense.

Lions QB Jared Goff struggles against the blitz

Jared Goff

On plays when Jared Goff is blitzed by opposing defenses, he has struggled much more than when he is given time to sit back in the pocket. This includes being more prone to turnovers and other bad decisions. He has recorded just a mediocre 96 passer rating against the blitz this season with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.

His numbers get even worse when the blitz is successful in applying pressure to him. When under pressure this season, Goff has an alarmingly bad 62.5 passer rating with just six touchdowns and nine interceptions. For comparison, he has been excellent when throwing from a clean pocket, including 24 touchdowns and three interceptions.

The polarizing nature of this statistic could be the key to the Buccaneers' chances of potentially upsetting the Lions in the Divisional round. Todd Bowles will surely attack Goff with as many blitzing plays as possible. He basically does this against every quarterback, but he could turn up the pressure even further to try to take advantage of this favorable situation.