Defenses function better and get better results when they pressure the quarterback. This should come as no surprise to anyone who pays an ounce of attention to football. When quarterbacks are pressured, they make poorer decisions and throws than when they have time to throw, and that leads to better results for the defense.
However, in 2016, no defense was more heavily reliant on the success of their pass rush than the Green Bay Packers. On Monday, Football Outsiders broke down NFL teams’ overall defensive success based on plays on which they pressured the quarterback.