ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have gone three games without giving up a sack for the first time since the league started tracking the stat in 1982.
Their four sacks allowed, all from the Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers, are the second fewest in the NFL through four games. Detroit’s offensive line deserves a ton of credit for its improvement and for fixing those communication issues since then.
But Jared Goff’s pocket presence, ability to step up and stand in there until the last moment possible, has played a major factor in this stretch.
When Dan Campbell was asked about Goff’s role in the sack-free streak, the Lions coach was quick to give the love right back to his offensive line. He said it’s always going to start there for his team, and how the tackles, young guards and Graham Glasgow at center are meshing at a high level right now.
“Number two, Goff has been outstanding in the pocket,” Campbell said. “He’s been really good. His pocket presence when he’s chosen to step up, he’s chosen to move, it’s been right on, and that helps big time.
“Number three, our receivers are getting open with speed, they’re playing with urgency in the pass game -- we talked about that last week. Those guys have to outrun the rush. And so, when you do all three of those things -- good things happen.”
In last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns, Goff avoided going down despite a disruptive day from Myles Garrett. The star pass rusher had eight pressures, while Cleveland’s defense had 15 altogether to go along with five quarterback hits.
Pro Football Focus was hard on Detroit’s offensive line for its pass-rushing grades in that one, too.
Left tackle Taylor Decker ranked 156th of 171 offensive linemen with enough snaps to qualify in the pass-rushing category in Week 4. Rookie right guard Tate Ratledge was 145th, Glasgow was 106th, left guard Christian Mahogany was 96th and right tackle Penei Sewell was 59th. PFF put 11 of those 15 pressures on the team’s offensive line.
Decker has been strong while playing through a shoulder injury, though. He ranks among the best offensive tackles in pass block win-rate. Sewell is PFF’s top-ranked offensive tackle through four weeks. He’s allowed only three pressures, one quarterback hit and hasn’t surrendered a sack. Ratledge is 19th among guards, showcasing his strong response to a tough opener.
Goff deserves credit for being mobile enough to escape when those pressures are coming. The Lions quarterbacks’ feel for the pocket breaking is also elite, not to mention their ability to get the ball out.
It’s something Goff has done his best to work on throughout his career. John Morton, the team’s offensive coordinator, said it’s something they drill home from the moment they arrive until the season is over.
“I think it’s just like anything else, something you try to get better at in the offseason and through training camp when you get some real live bullets out there,” Goff said of his pocket presence. “This year, I’ve done a pretty good job of it, but it starts when you -- I could answer this question really long, but when you don’t have a lot of pressure, it’s easy to feel when there is one pressure.
“As opposed to when there’s always pressure, it’s hard to feel when it’s actually and when it isn’t. That’s when you see a lot of guys scrambling when they don’t need to. I think when our O-line has been as good as they’ve been, when one guy does get edged, it’s easy to feel that and for me to move. And that makes it a whole lot easier for a quarterback.”
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