Comparing Derek Carr and Steve McNair Head to Head

The career statistics tell a clear story in this QB comparison. Derek Carr holds the advantage in 7 of 7 key categories, with Pass Touchdowns representing the most decisive gap — a 47.7% difference that separates these two NFL players. This is not a close debate on the numbers.

Derek Carr's Pass Touchdowns of 257 compared to Steve McNair's 174 represents a 47.7% advantage — significantly better than their counterpart in this critical category. Both players exceed the QB career average of 150 in this category, but Derek Carr leads by 47.7%. It is the single most decisive number in this comparison and the clearest statistical argument for Derek Carr's edge.

The most competitive category in this matchup is Yards Per Attempt, where Derek Carr posts 7.1 against Steve McNair's 6.9 — a gap of just 2.9%. Steve McNair can point to this as evidence that the overall comparison is closer than the final 7-0 tally suggests. In any debate, Yards Per Attempt is the statistical ammunition for the Steve McNair side.

Quarterback evaluation in the modern NFL weighs passing efficiency heavily alongside raw yardage totals. Passer rating, completion percentage and touchdown-to-interception ratio paint a more complete picture than any single statistic alone.

Derek Carr wins this head to head comparison decisively — 7 categories to 0. The 47.7% gap in Pass Touchdowns alone makes a compelling case, but the consistency across multiple categories confirms Derek Carr's statistical superiority in this NFL career comparison.