GREEN BAY, Wis. – From one perspective, the Green Bay Packers’ passing offense has been pretty good heading into Sunday’s NFC matchup against the Detroit Lions. They rank eighth in sacks and 13th in sack percentage.

But the rush to pass suggests that the asphalt is hot and the Frozen Tundra is cold in July. Eight of the 21 sacks came against Tennessee and four against Houston. To keep athletic quarterbacks in the pocket, they moved on offenses against the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, the Colts’ Anthony Richardson and the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, which skewed the overall numbers.

However, the Packers only had one sack against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday; They were leading for much of this game while facing quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was much more dangerous in the air than on the ground.

Green Bay’s passing offense should be at its best on Sunday against Jared Goff and the Lions, especially if Packers’ secondary is a few starts behind.

“Look at the numbers” Coach Matt LaFleur said: “They tell you everything. Then you watch the tape and he backs it up. I think he’s doing a great job; he’s a guy who will make you pay if you give him time. He’ll find the right guys. If you give him a little bit of light to pass the ball, he’ll take advantage of it.”

If the season ends today, Goff could be NFL MVP. He’s not as hot as any quarterback in the NFL. He’s as hot as any quarterback in NFL history.

Last week, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to complete at least 72.0 percent of his passes with more than two touchdown passes and a passer rating of more than 110 in five straight games. His 83.0 percent completion rate and 146.5 passer rating during that span are NFL records.

For the season, Goff leads the NFL in completion percentage (74.1) and yards per attempt (8.97) and ranks second in passer rating (115.3; just behind Lamar Jackson’s 115.4).

In fact, the only way to counter Goff’s surprising efficiency is to make him uncomfortable. But this is easier said than done. With arguably the NFL’s best right tackle (Penei Sewell), one of the best centers (Frank Ragnow), an established left tackle (Taylor Decker) and a pair of veteran guards (Kevin Zeitler and Graham Glasgow), Goff is protected by The Great Detroit Wall.

According to ESPNThe Lions rank fifth in pass block win rate, while the Packers rank 30th in pass rush win rate.

“I want to get better every week,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “We need to be better than last week. And no matter how we play, I said that the week before. I know our pass rush is getting better and it’s catching a lot of people’s attention, and by the way you can see people are trying to hinder us.

“When you combine the pressures we have, the different looks we have, the guys we have up front and the ability to rush the four or send it as much as we want, I think they do a good job with the pressures and the sacks we get. Our pressure rates are pretty good and our sack rates are pretty good, too.”

Rashan Gary, Green Bay’s top pass rusher, has just two sacks. That too was untouched; An early move was made to Philadelphia, and right tackle fell to Houston. However, it was exposed to chips at the sixth highest rate. According to Pro Football Focus.

Gary mostly attacks from the left of the defence, which means pairing up with Sewell. He has been allowed zero sacks this year and just one in the final 36 games through midseason in 2022, according to PFF. Gary could get more one-on-one opportunities than he has all season because the Lions have a lot of confidence in Sewell to impose his own game. He’ll be against every defender in the league.

The left side of Detroit’s line is at least somewhat vulnerable against Decker and Glasgow.

“Their offensive line is probably the best we’ve ever seen,” Hafley said.

In the first five games, Goff was sacked a total of 11 times. But in the last two weeks against the Vikings and Titans, Goff was struck out four times. The Tennessee game was a bit of an eye-opener. The Lions won 52-14, so Goff threw only 15 passes but was pressured on six of his 19 throwbacks.

Among the 39 quarterbacks who have faced 20 low pressure drops, Goff ranks second in completion percentage and yards per attempt and sixth in passer rating. However, he has fumbled twice in each of the last two matches.

Green Bay’s only sack last week was a sack/strip by Edgerrin Cooper, and the Packers turned it into a critical touchdown.

A bigger challenge awaits the Lions, who are number 1 in the NFL in scoring, this week.

“Jeff Hafley is a great coach,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I think this defense is buzzing. Kenny Clark is a phenomenal player. We know Gary. I can get across. (Safety Xavier) McKinney, (Linebacker) Quay Walker, (Cornerback Jaire) Alexander, they’ve got guys and they play hard defensively. So that’s good. a defense.”

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