QB Data: Correlation Between Sacks and Interceptions (Fields is in trouble)

Justin Fields is getting sacked at a historically high rate.

No quarterback in the past three years has been sacked more frequently than Justin Fields was in 2021, except for one: Justin Fields in 2022.

Fields has the two highest sack percentages (per drop back) of the past three seasons to his credit, and he also has some of the highest scramble rates and interception rates. He isn’t throwing the ball very often, and when he does, he is often throwing it to the other team. These are some findings from my analysis of the past three seasons of quarterback data.

There’s a clear correlation between how often a quarterback is sacked and how often they throw interceptions. It makes sense. But there’s two main reasons, and one is more favorable to the quarterback than the other. Obviously, all things being equal, a quarterback is going to play worse when he is pressured. He will have to rush passes and will end up throwing more interceptions. But here’s the other reason for the correlation: bad quarterbacks are both going to get sacked more often and throw more interceptions than good quarterbacks if the amount of pressure is equal.

Justin Fields’ problem might be his poor quarterback play.