Oakland Raiders: A look inside some numbers Derek Carr must improve in 2018
By Kevin Saito
86.4
Carr’s Quarterback Rating in 2017 was a relatively mediocre 86.4. While still above average, it was down a full ten points from his 2016 campaign, and well below his career average prior to last season.
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That 86.4 rating was good for only nineteenth in the league – which is not the kind of rating you’d expect to see from a franchise quarterback.
While perhaps, some may say the QB Rating is an overvalued metric, it does provide a decent glimpse into the efficiency of the quarterback, given that it takes attempts, completions, touchdowns, interceptions, and total yards into account. The higher the number, the more efficient the quarterback.
In 2016, Carr was a very efficient quarterback, posting an excellent 96.7 – after posting a quarterback rating of 91.1 in 2015. His 2017 performance though, was only ten points higher than his rookie season.
Now, obviously, it’s not all on his shoulders. He needs some help to keep that number up. Receivers not dropping passes might be a good place to start. But, Carr needs to be more efficient and take advantage of situations in 2018 a little better than he did last year.
The Quarterback Rating isn’t the end all, be all, of metrics. It does however, give us a closer look at how well and efficiently the passing game is performing. Or isn’t performing.
It’s a number Carr is going to need to get back up to if he wants to help get the Raiders back into contention again.