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Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr ranked most accurate deep passer by PFF

By Sanjit T.

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 16: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders drops back to throw a pass during the first quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 16: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders drops back to throw a pass during the first quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images) /
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The Oakland Raiders added some deep threats to the wideout group in 2019, and that should bode well for Derek Carr in the passing game.

One of the biggest question marks for the Oakland Raiders is how well Derek Carr and Antonio Brown can connect in 2019. Brown came to the Raiders via a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers after hauling in over 100 catches in each of the last six seasons.

Brown has been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL as a Steeler, and comes to Oakland as the best weapon Carr has ever had in his NFL career. A lot of fans might attribute his success to QB Ben Rothlisberger, and although Ben and Derek are different, both quarterbacks have had success in the NFL up until this point.

Since coming over to Oakland, Brown has established a nice raport with Carr, and the two seem to be getting quite close. This is a wide out group that should be one of the more improved units in all of football next season, and they will likely take more shots downfield.

We know Derek Carr can get it done. In 2016 he was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. And last year, according to Pro Football Focus, he was the most accurate deep passer (20+ yard throws):

"Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders: 52.3%The Raiders’ signal caller tops this list no doubt to the surprise of many, but the reality is that Carr has always shown well on his deep pass attempts. After three years of charting the ball placement of every throw of every game, the top-three highest single-season deep-passing accuracy rates belong to Russell Wilson in 2016 (55.6), Derek Carr in 2018 (52.3%) and Derek Carr in 2016 (51.1%). Now that he’s armed with Antonio Brown and deep threat Tyrell Williams, Carr could very well reappear on this list this time next year."

Often fans say Carr is checking the ball down too much, but if that’s what his read is, then that’s what he has to do. You shouldn’t force the ball into double coverage, and risk throwing interceptions.

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It looks like Carr’s deep passing game might be a bit underrated, and if you think about it, Carr and Brown might be the perfect pair. In 2018, Carr had the best accuracy throwing it deep, and AB had the 3rd most deep catches, 14, and the most deep touchdowns, 9.

We will see if this pair can keep it going in 2019.

For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe
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