Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr’s 2018 season using advanced stats
By Sanjit T.
Adjusted Completion Percentage
Derek Carr dropped back to throw the ball 612 times this season, which was the 14th most dropbacks. However, he attempted a pass only 553 times, which ranks him 16th as far as attempted passes this season. Undoubtedly, Carr didn’t throw it as much as some other players.
However, on the 553 pass attempts, he completed 68.9% of those, which ties him for having the 6th best completion percentage throughout the 2018 NFL season.
68.9% is excellent, however, when you get into the advanced completion percentage, that’s when it really counts, and this is what really impresses me of Carr. He finished the season with an adjusted completion percentage of 78.9%, which ranks him as the third-best quarterback.
I know what you’re thinking, what exactly is adjusted completion percentage?
Adjusted Completion Percentage, or ACP, is a stat that takes into consideration variables out of a quarterback’s hand. For example, when a quarterback throws a pass, and it hits the wide receiver in the chest, but he drops it, that isn’t really a quarterback’s fault. Another scenario that affects a quarterback’s completion percentage is when he spikes the ball to stop the clock, or when he throws the ball away because no one is open or he wants the clock to stop.
Carr had 22 dropped passes in 2018, which is the 16th most in the league. Even though 2018 was a lot better compared to 2017, when the Raiders wide receivers dropped 35 passes, Carr can’t do anything about drops. Derek Carr also threw the ball away or spiked it to stop the clock 29 times.
What’s most impressive about Carr’s 78.9% adjusted completion percentage is that this was all done with no true No. 1 wide receiver. He was also sacked 51 times, which is the most he’s ever been sacked in his career.
Carr can have tremendous success if given the opportunity. We know he has the accuracy to be great.