Derek Carr had arguably the best season in his career in 2021, throwing for nearly 5,000 yards and leading the Raiders to the playoffs. It wasn’t always easy, but he made the plays to get them in a position to win games.
One way that Carr stood out last year compared to his peers was due to his deep passing ability. On a number of occasions, he connected on deep throws, including one to Zay Jones to beat the Ravens in Week 1. He had another against Pittsburgh in Week 2 to Henry Ruggs that allowed them to upset the Steelers.
So where does Carr rank among the best downfield passers in the league? In a recent article by Nick Shook and the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, he ranked the top 10 deep passers in the NFL from the 2021 season. Not surprisingly, Carr was on the list, coming in at No. 9. Here is what Shook had to say about his 2021 season:
