What is a Passer Rating?
A passer rating is the NFL's statistical measure of passing efficiency. It converts completions, attempts, passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions into one score. It is also called QB rating or RTG, but it is different from ESPN Total QBR. Use the calculator above to compute the official box-score formula.
The NFL adopted the current formula in 1973. It measures four attributes—completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown percentage, and interception percentage—and caps each component at 2.375. The NCAA uses a separate college passing-efficiency formula with no 158.3 maximum.
Whether you're a fan comparing QBs, a coach evaluating game film, a fantasy football analyst using advanced metrics, or a journalist analyzing football statistics, the quarterback efficiency rating gives you a reliable baseline that goes beyond simple completion percentages or yardage totals.
How to Calculate Passer Rating
The passer rating formula breaks passing performance into four components so you can calculate QB rating from completions, attempts, passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. Each component is clamped between 0 and 2.375, then combined into the final quarterback rating.
Completion %
(C/A − 0.3) × 5 Measures passing accuracy. A higher completion percentage boosts the QB rating formula score.
Yards / Attempt
(Y/A − 3) × 0.25 Calculates average yards per pass attempt. Rewards efficient, explosive passing plays.
TD %
(T/A) × 20 Tracks touchdown percentage — the rate of scoring passes per attempt.
INT Rate
2.375 − (I/A × 25) Measures interception rate. Fewer turnovers mean a higher passer rating.
Interactive Formula Playground
Final formula: Rating = ((a + b + c + d) / 6) × 100
Example Passer Rating Calculation
Let's walk through a real-world example to see how the passer rating formula works in practice. Below are the stats from a strong quarterback performance:
Sample QB Game Stats
22
Completions
30
Attempts
305
Passing Yards
3
Touchdowns
0
Interceptions
Step A — Completion %: (22/30 − 0.3) × 5 = 2.167
Step B — Yards/Attempt: (305/30 − 3) × 0.25 = 1.792
Step C — TD %: (3/30) × 20 = 2.0
Step D — INT Rate: 2.375 − (0/30 × 25) = 2.375
Final Rating: ((2.167 + 1.792 + 2.0 + 2.375) / 6) × 100 = 138.9
A rating of 138.9 falls in the Elite tier — an outstanding single-game performance by any NFL quarterback.
What is a Perfect Passer Rating?
A perfect NFL passer rating is 158.3 — the maximum score possible under the official quarterback rating formula.
Reaching 158.3 means the passer maxed out all four formula components in the same sample. It does not require completing every pass or avoiding every sack.
77.5%
Min. Completion %
12.5
Min. Yards/Attempt
11.875%
Min. TD %
0%
Max. INT %
Interactive Perfect Validation
NFL Passer Rating Scale
What is a good passer rating? Use this NFL QB rating scale to see where any quarterback falls compared to league benchmarks.
Elite
120+
Exceptional efficiency across the formula components
Good
90–119.9
Good to excellent modern passing efficiency
Inconsistent
80–89.9
Productive traits with one or more weaknesses
Poor
<80
Below a strong modern passing-efficiency standard
Test Any Rating
Passer Rating vs QBR: What's the Difference?
Two quarterback rating systems, two different philosophies. Here's how the traditional NFL passer rating formula compares to ESPN's Total QBR.
NFL Passer Rating
- ✓ Scale: 0 – 158.3
- ✓ Publicly calculable — anyone can verify the formula
- ✓ Available since 1973 — decades of historical football statistics
- ✓ Purely based on box score passing stats
- ✗ Ignores rushing yards & sacks
- ✗ No situational context
ESPN QBR
- ✓ Scale: 0 – 100 (intuitive)
- ✓ Includes rushing contribution
- ✓ Uses play context and downweights garbage time
- ✓ Expected points framework
- ✗ Not reproducible from a standard box score
- ✗ Only available since 2011
Example: 2022 QB Rankings Shift
Tap a QB to see their full stats. Toggle between passer rating and QBR to see how rankings change.
What is Passer Rating Allowed?
Passer rating isn't just for quarterbacks. Passer Rating Allowed flips the football passer rating formula to measure defensive performance — how well a cornerback, safety, or entire defensive unit limits opposing QBs. It uses the same NFL passer rating formula, but applied to the passing stats allowed by a defense.
A low passer rating allowed means the defense is shutting down the passing game. This defensive efficiency metric is commonly used by NFL analysts to evaluate cornerbacks and defensive secondaries across the league.
Calculate Passer Rating Allowed →Passer Rating Formula (NFL & Excel Guide)
NFL Formula
The NFL passer rating formula calculates four components from passing statistics, clamps each between 0 and 2.375, then averages them:
Rating = ((a + b + c + d) / 6) × 100 Maximum possible: 158.3
Use It in Excel
You can replicate the NFL passer rating formula in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Set up columns for completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions, apply the four component calculations, and use MIN/MAX functions to clamp values.
View the complete formula with Excel examples →