Advertisement

Jameis Winston stats: How the Bucs QB performed under pressure

 
Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston faced pressure on more than 30 percent of his pass plays last season. [LOREN ELLIOTT | Times]
Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston faced pressure on more than 30 percent of his pass plays last season. [LOREN ELLIOTT | Times]
Published June 23, 2017

Every quarterback's performance declines when he faces pressure from the defense.

While Jameis Winston is no exception, his play under duress last season was better than most other quarterbacks' play, according to data published this week by Football Outsiders. To label the Buccaneers quarterback's performance "good," however, would be a bit of a stretch; "not as bad" is a more fitting description.

The site tracked 34 quarterbacks and used its Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) statistic* to measure their play in situations in which they faced pressure and situations in which they didn't. Think of it as an efficiency rating. It's expressed as a percentage, with a positive percentage representing above-average efficiency and a negative percentage representing below-average efficiency.

When under pressure, 31 quarterbacks had a lower DVOA than Winston. Only Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor ranked higher.

DVOA when facing pressure

RankPlayerTeamDVOA pressure
1Aaron RodgersGB-3.3%
2Tyrod TaylorBUF-21.3%
3Jameis WinstonTB-24.9%
4Andrew LuckIND-27.4%
5Dak PrescottDAL-30.5%
6Tom BradyNE-31.6%
7Matt RyanATL-32.9%
8Brian HoyerCHI-34.1%
9Matthew StaffordDET-34.1%
10Ben RoethlisbergerPIT-38.5%
Source: Football Outsiders

FO also found that the difference between Winston's DVOA in situations in which he faced pressure and situations in which he didn't was the third-smallest. Based on that, one might conclude that he held up reasonably well when the pocket collapsed. In other words, he didn't morph into Blake Osweiler or Jared Goff the moment a lineman or linebacker breathed on him.

Difference in DVOA, pressure vs. no pressure

RankPlayerTeamDVOA pressureDVOA no pressure Diff
1Aaron RodgersGB-3.3%54.1%-57.3%
2Tyrod TaylorBUF-21.3%46.4%-67.7%
3Jameis WinstonTB-24.9%45.3%-70.2%
4Matthew StaffordDET-34.1%38.6%-72.6%
5Andrew LuckIND-27.4%48.6%-76.0%
6Brian HoyerCHI-34.1%42.0%-76.0%
7Jared GoffLAR-126.5%-45.2%-81.3%
8Blake BortlesJAC-60.6%27.2%-87.9%
9Ben RoethlisbergerPIT-38.5%51.7%-90.3%
10Alex SmithKC-46.9%46.1%-93.0%
27Matt RyanATL-32.9%90.5%-123.3%
Source: Football Outsiders

Here's another way to look at the numbers: As important as it is for quarterbacks to withstand pressure, teams really count on them to produce when defenders aren't able to disrupt plays. Consider that Winston faced pressure on 31.7 percent of his pass plays, according to FO. Even though that was the seventh-highest rate, that still means he had a clean pocket seven out of every 10 plays. His performance in those situations was relatively ordinary. His 45.3 percent DVOA ranked 18th, between Alex Smith and Cam Newton.

DVOA when facing no pressure

Rank PlayerTeamDVOA no pressure
1 Matt RyanATL90.5%
2 Tom BradyNE81.1%
3 Dak PrescottDAL77.4%
4 Kirk CousinsWAS65.5%
5 Marcus MariotaTEN61.3%
6 Derek CarrOAK55.4%
7 Andy DaltonCIN54.8%
8 Ryan TannehillMIA54.8%
9 Philip RiversSD54.2%
10 Aaron RodgersGB54.1%
18 Jameis WinstonTB45.3%
Source: Football Outsiders

The difference in Winston's DVOA, then, is less an indication of consistency and more of a signal that he has room for improvement when he isn't under pressure. To further illustrate the point, let's look at Matt Ryan. His -32.9 percent DVOA when facing pressure wasn't unusually bad (in fact, it ranked as seventh-best). He was just ridiculously efficient in situations without pressure (his 90.5 percent DVOA was the best in the NFL).

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter

We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

Contact Thomas Bassinger at tbassinger@tampabay.com. Follow @tometrics.

*FO's definition: "DVOA breaks down the entire season play-by-play, comparing success on each play to the league average based on a number of variables including down, distance, location on field, current score gap, quarter, and opponent quality."