Passer rating
Encyclopedia
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterback
s or any other passers in American football
and Canadian football
. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League
and the Canadian Football League
, and one used in college football
. Passer rating is calculated using each quarterback's completion percentage, passing yardage, touchdown
s and interceptions.
A perfect passer rating in the NFL is 158.3. A perfect passing efficiency in college football is 1261.6.
. Don Weiss created the passer rating. Prior to that, the NFL had struggled with how to crown a passing king using multiple statistics.
The four separate calculations can be expressed in the following equations:
where
Then, the above calculations are used to complete the passer rating:
where
as passing efficiency or pass efficiency, is based on player performances. The NCAA
passing efficiency formula is far simpler than the NFL formula, as it lacks limits on the four components:
The NCAA passer rating has an upper limit of 1,261.6 (every attempt is a 99-yard completion for touchdown), and a lower limit of -731.6 (every attempt is completed, but results in a 99-yard loss). A passer who throws only interceptions will have a -200 rating, as would a passer who only throws completed passes losing an average of 35.714 yards.
, Steve Young
, Michael Vick
, and John Elway
, who were also known for their running ability. Nor does it measure a quarterback's win-loss record, how many times he has fumbled or been sacked, or evaluate his leadership and performance during different situations.
In 2011, the American sports network ESPN
developed an alternative statistic called the total quarterback rating
which purports to more accurately measure quarterbacks' contribution to their teams' winning.
holds the NFL record for the highest career passer rating for any player with at least 1,500 attempts, with a current mark of 103.8. Through week 12 of the 2011 NFL season, Aaron Rodgers
is on pace to have the highest passer rating for a season with 127.7. Peyton Manning currently holds the record of 121.1, set in the 2004 season (Manning also has completed four games with a perfect passer rating, another NFL record). Also in 2004, Ben Roethlisberger
posted a mark of 98.1, setting a record for rookies. Wide receiver
Antwaan Randle El
, with a passer rating of 157.5 from 21 completed passes of a possible 26, has the highest career rating of any non-QB with more than twenty attempts. As of 2010, 60 NFL quarterbacks have completed a game with a perfect passer rating of 158.3, and seven have done so multiple times.
of Oklahoma
, who had a career mark of 175.6 between 2007
and 2009
. The single-season record belongs to Colt Brennan
of the University of Hawaiʻi
, who achieved a passer rating of 186.0 over the 2006 season, while the freshman record belongs to Michael Vick
of Virginia Tech
, whose rating during the 1999 season
was 180.4.
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
s or any other passers in American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, and one used in college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
. Passer rating is calculated using each quarterback's completion percentage, passing yardage, touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s and interceptions.
A perfect passer rating in the NFL is 158.3. A perfect passing efficiency in college football is 1261.6.
History
The NFL's complex passer rating was devised in 1971 by a special committee headed by Don R. Smith, an executive at the Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. Don Weiss created the passer rating. Prior to that, the NFL had struggled with how to crown a passing king using multiple statistics.
NFL
The calculation of the NFL passer rating involves more steps than the NCAA formula. In order to establish a maximum value for an NFL player's passer rating, a separate calculation needs to be completed involving each of the following four categories: Completion Percentage, Average Yards Per Attempt, Percentage of Touchdown Passes, and Percentage of Interceptions. If the result in any category is less than 0, the given result should be 0. If the result in any category is greater than 2.375, the given result should be 2.375. This makes the maximum possible quarterback rating for the NFL 158.3. A perfect rating requires at least a 77.5% completion rate, at least 12.5 yards per attempt, a touchdown on at least 11.875% of attempts, and no interceptions.The four separate calculations can be expressed in the following equations:
where
- ATT = Number of passing attempts
- COMP = Number of completions
- YARDS = Passing yards
- TD = Touchdown passes
- INT = Interceptions
Then, the above calculations are used to complete the passer rating:
where
NCAA
Passer rating, known formally in college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
as passing efficiency or pass efficiency, is based on player performances. The NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
passing efficiency formula is far simpler than the NFL formula, as it lacks limits on the four components:
The NCAA passer rating has an upper limit of 1,261.6 (every attempt is a 99-yard completion for touchdown), and a lower limit of -731.6 (every attempt is completed, but results in a 99-yard loss). A passer who throws only interceptions will have a -200 rating, as would a passer who only throws completed passes losing an average of 35.714 yards.
Limitations
As mentioned, both the NFL and NCAA passer rating formulae are only based on completion percentage, passing yardage, touchdowns, and interceptions. As the NFL notes, "It is important to remember that the system is used to rate passers, not quarterbacks. Statistics do not reflect leadership, play-calling, and other intangible factors that go into making a successful professional quarterback." For example, it does not factor in rushing yards gained by such quarterbacks as Randall CunninghamRandall Cunningham
Randall W. Cunningham is a former American football quarterback.After playing college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he was selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he remained through the 1995 season...
, Steve Young
Steve Young
Steve Young is an American football quarterback.Steve Young may also refer to:*Steve Young , country music singer, songwriter and guitarist*Steve Young , industrial rock music songwriter and guitarist...
, Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
, and John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
, who were also known for their running ability. Nor does it measure a quarterback's win-loss record, how many times he has fumbled or been sacked, or evaluate his leadership and performance during different situations.
In 2011, the American sports network ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
developed an alternative statistic called the total quarterback rating
Total quarterback rating
Total Quarterback Rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football developed by the American sports network ESPN in 2011...
which purports to more accurately measure quarterbacks' contribution to their teams' winning.
NFL
Aaron RodgersAaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
holds the NFL record for the highest career passer rating for any player with at least 1,500 attempts, with a current mark of 103.8. Through week 12 of the 2011 NFL season, Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
is on pace to have the highest passer rating for a season with 127.7. Peyton Manning currently holds the record of 121.1, set in the 2004 season (Manning also has completed four games with a perfect passer rating, another NFL record). Also in 2004, Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
posted a mark of 98.1, setting a record for rookies. Wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He attended Indiana University, after turning down a Major League Baseball draft selection by the Chicago Cubs in 1997...
, with a passer rating of 157.5 from 21 completed passes of a possible 26, has the highest career rating of any non-QB with more than twenty attempts. As of 2010, 60 NFL quarterbacks have completed a game with a perfect passer rating of 158.3, and seven have done so multiple times.
NCAA
In Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A), the career record for passing efficiency is held by Sam BradfordSam Bradford
Samuel Jacob "Sam" Bradford is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and played college football at Oklahoma. In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a...
of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, who had a career mark of 175.6 between 2007
2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2007-2008, winning the Big 12 Conference Championship for the fifth time in eight years. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops...
and 2009
2009 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2009 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2009-2010. It was the 115th year of season play for the Sooners. The team was led by head coach Bob Stoops, a two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year award winner, who has a contract...
. The single-season record belongs to Colt Brennan
Colt Brennan
Colton "Colt" James Brennan is an American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hawaii....
of the University of Hawaiʻi
Hawaii Warriors football
The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
, who achieved a passer rating of 186.0 over the 2006 season, while the freshman record belongs to Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
of Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
, whose rating during the 1999 season
1999 Virginia Tech Hokies football team
-Regular season:Michael Vick led the Hokies to an 11–1 season and to the Bowl Championship Series national title game in the 2000 Nokia Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Although Virginia Tech lost 46–29, Vick was able to bring the team back from a 21 point deficit to take a 29-28 lead into the...
was 180.4.
See also
- List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating
- List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a passer rating of zero
- NFL career passer rating leaders
External links
- NFL.com QB Rating Page
- Online passer rating calculator for NFL/CFL, NCAA and AFL formulas
- A look at and breakdown of the NFL Passer Rating
- All-Time Top NFL Passer Ratings List
- QB Rating Calculator
- Adjustable NFL passer rating calculator and database. Stats from 1932 - present.
- New York Times - The N.F.L.'s Passer Rating, Arcane and Misunderstood - January 14, 2004