Shorter throws helped make Teddy Bridgewater NFL's most accurate QB
Teddy Bridgewater this season fell short of his lofty goal of completing 70 percent of his passes, something that only five NFL quarterbacks have ever done. He ranked ninth in the NFL with a completion percentage of 65.3.
But the second-year signal-caller might take solace in knowing he was the NFL’s most accurate quarterback in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus.
Yes, you read that right. No starting QB was on target more often than Bridgewater when factoring in drops, throwaways and passes batted down of the line of scrimmage. His accuracy percentage was 79.3. Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Sam Bradford and Tom Brady rounded out the top five.
So, nice, Bridgewater was usually on the money. But context is needed here.
You probably don’t need me to tell you that he often targeted receivers on shorter throws, but here you go anyway: Of his 447 attempts that weren’t throwaways or batted passes, 60.2 percent traveled less than 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, including 16.1 percent thrown behind the line.
Bridgewater threw 16.8 percent of his passes in the 10-to-20-yard range, which surprisingly was his best depth range according to PFF’s grading.
Bridgewater, meanwhile, attempted just 48 throws that went 20 or more yards downfield. That ranked 23rd among NFL quarterbacks, per PFF.
You probably don’t need me to tell you that he struggled on those deeper throws, but here you go anyway: Bridgewater was accurate on just 37.5 percent of deep throws, which also ranked 23rd in the league. Trajectory and accuracy on deep balls is the biggest hole in his game right now.
Still, looking at the big picture here, it should be considered a positive that Bridgewater ranked in the top three in accuracy percentage in each of his first two seasons. That being said, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if that accuracy percentage dipped because Bridgewater threw downfield more often.
The Vikings asked him to be extra cautious and he obliged, but taking more chances seems like the natural next step for Bridgewater in Year Three. Even Bridgewater admitted after the season that he needs to cut it loose.
“[My biggest focus is] just being more aggressive,” Bridgewater said.
That might not get him to a completion percentage above 70. But it will probably make him a better quarterback, and that’s what really matters.