Official 1973 formula · NFL + NCAA modes
NFL Passer Rating Calculator
Passer rating condenses a quarterback's passing line into a single number on the NFL's 0 to 158.3 scale. Enter completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns and interceptions to get the official rating — plus a full breakdown of all four formula components, an interpretation of what the number means, and the NCAA college formula for college stat lines.
Also called a QB rating calculator or quarterback rating calculator, this tool answers how is passer rating calculated with the league's official NFL QB rating formula — from an average game all the way to a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Component breakdown
The NCAA formula is not clamped, so its scale runs from -731.6 to 1261.6 — do not compare college ratings directly with NFL ratings.
The Official NFL Passer Rating Formula — Passer Rating Explained
The NFL passer rating has used the same formula since 1973, designed by Don Smith and Seymour Siwoff of the Elias Sports Bureau — the Elias Sports Bureau passer rating — from league passing data between 1960 and 1970. The 1973 passer rating formula was adopted by the NFL that year It turns five box-score numbers — attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and interceptions — into four passer rating components — the formula's clamped components — each limited to the range 0 to 2.375, then combines them:
a = ((COMP / ATT) − 0.3) × 5 ·
b = ((YDS / ATT) − 3) × 0.25 ·
c = (TD / ATT) × 20 ·
d = 2.375 − (INT / ATT) × 25
Passer Rating = ((a + b + c + d) / 6) × 100
If a component comes out negative it is set to 0; if it exceeds 2.375 it is set to 2.375. The clamps are what create the famous passer rating scale: the maximum possible rating is (4 × 2.375 / 6) × 100 = 158.3 and the minimum passer rating is 0.0. The constants were calibrated so that a component value of 1.0 represented league-average passing in the 1960s — back then a rating of 66.7 was average and 100+ was excellent.
The four components and their limits
| Component | What it rewards | Formula | Hits 0 at | Hits max (2.375) at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Accuracy — the completion percentage rating component | ((C/A) − 0.3) × 5 | 30.0% comp | 77.5% comp |
| B | Efficiency — the yards per attempt rating component | ((Y/A) − 3) × 0.25 | 3.0 Y/A | 12.5 Y/A |
| C | Scoring — the touchdown percentage component | (TD/A) × 20 | 0 TD | 11.875% TD rate |
| D | Ball security — the interception penalty rating component | 2.375 − (INT/A) × 25 | 9.5% INT rate | 0 INT |
Because of the clamps, a monster stat line cannot break the scale: any component above its threshold simply pins at 2.375. This is why many different historic games all land on exactly 158.3.
Worked Examples: Single Game Passer Rating, Calculated Step by Step
Example 1 — strong game: 22/30, 305 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
- a = (22/30 − 0.3) × 5 = (0.7333 − 0.3) × 5 = 2.1667
- b = (305/30 − 3) × 0.25 = (10.1667 − 3) × 0.25 = 1.7917
- c = (3/30) × 20 = 2.0000
- d = 2.375 − (0/30) × 25 = 2.3750 (no interceptions = free max)
- Rating = (2.1667 + 1.7917 + 2.0000 + 2.3750) / 6 × 100 = 138.9 — elite game.
Example 2 — average game: 18/29, 214 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
- a = (18/29 − 0.3) × 5 = 1.6034
- b = (214/29 − 3) × 0.25 = 1.0948
- c = (2/29) × 20 = 1.3793
- d = 2.375 − (1/29) × 25 = 1.5129
- Rating = (1.6034 + 1.0948 + 1.3793 + 1.5129) / 6 × 100 = 93.2 — right at today's league average.
Example 3 — perfect rating: 31/40, 500 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
- a = (31/40 − 0.3) × 5 = 2.3750 (exactly on the max)
- b = (500/40 − 3) × 0.25 = 2.3750 (exactly 12.5 Y/A)
- c = (5/40) × 20 = 2.5 → clamped to 2.375
- d = 2.375 (no interceptions)
- Rating = (9.5 / 6) × 100 = 158.3 — perfect — meeting all four perfect passer rating requirements without completing every pass.
Real seasons, verified — including the highest passer rating season
| Season | Line | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers, 2011 | 343/502, 4,643 yds, 45 TD, 6 INT | 122.5 (single-season record) |
| Peyton Manning, 2004 | 336/497, 4,557 yds, 49 TD, 10 INT | 121.1 |
| Tom Brady, 2007 | 398/578, 4,806 yds, 50 TD, 8 INT | 117.2 |
Try these lines with the sample buttons above — the component breakdown shows exactly where each season gained or lost points.
Passer Rating Chart: What the Number Means (Passer Rating Tiers)
Ratings have inflated over the decades: the league average was about 88.6 in 2017 and 93.6 in 2020. Judge a number against its era with these passer rating tiers (the NFL passer rating average is now about 93):
| Rating | Tier | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 158.3 | Perfect | All four components maxed — the ceiling of the formula. |
| 130 – 158.2 | Historic elite | MVP-caliber season or a flawless single game. |
| 115 – 129.9 | Elite (the elite passer rating threshold) | Best-in-the-league territory (record season: 122.5). |
| 100 – 114.9 | Excellent | A Pro Bowl passer rating season in the modern game. |
| 90 – 99.9 | Above average | Around or above today's league average (~93). |
| 75 – 89.9 | Average | Solid starter range; fine with a good team around him. |
| 60 – 74.9 | Below average | Struggling efficiency; usually costs games. |
| 0 – 59.9 | Poor | Rough outing or historically bad season. |
The NCAA Passer Rating Formula (College) Is Different
This college passer rating calculator includes a dedicated NCAA tab because college football does not use the NFL formula. Its rating is a single unclamped expression:
NCAA Rating = (8.4 × YDS + 330 × TD + 100 × COMP − 200 × INT) / ATT
With no clamps, the scale runs from −731.6 to 1261.6, so college numbers look much larger. Worked example — the same 22/30, 305-yard, 3-TD, 0-INT game:
- (8.4 × 305 + 330 × 3 + 100 × 22 − 200 × 0) / 30 = (2,562 + 990 + 2,200) / 30 = 191.7
- The same line scores 138.9 on the NFL scale — never compare the two scales directly.
High school passing-efficiency stats often use this NCAA-style formula too, which is why this calculator includes an NCAA tab.
5 Tips for Reading (and Raising) Passer Rating
- Interceptions are the heaviest lever. Component D starts at a free 2.375 with zero picks and falls 25 points of scale per INT per attempt — a single pick in a 30-attempt game costs about 13.9 rating points. Protecting the ball is the fastest way to a big number.
- Chase yards per attempt, not raw yards. Component B rewards efficiency (12.5 Y/A to max), so 300 yards on 25 attempts rates far better than 300 yards on 45 attempts.
- Watch the 30% completion floor. Below 30% completions, component A contributes zero — the rating cannot be rescued by the other three components alone.
- Compare like with like. A single game passer rating is volatile (a backup can post 158.3 on 12 attempts); season ratings over 400+ attempts are the stable signal. Always note the sample size.
- Remember what the formula ignores. Sacks, fumbles, rushing yards and game context are invisible to passer rating. Pair it with QBR or EPA for a complete picture of quarterback play, including career passer rating evaluation.
Passer rating was designed in the run-heavy 1970s — in today's pass-friendly league, 100 is a good season, not an all-time one. Era-adjust before comparing across decades.
Passer Rating FAQs
What is the NFL passer rating formula?
The official NFL passer rating is built from four components, each clamped to the range 0 to 2.375. Let ATT = attempts, CMP = completions, YDS = yards, TD = touchdowns, INT = interceptions. Then: a = ((CMP/ATT) - 0.3) x 5; b = ((YDS/ATT) - 3) x 0.25; c = (TD/ATT) x 20; d = 2.375 - (INT/ATT) x 25. Any component below 0 becomes 0, any above 2.375 becomes 2.375. The final rating is ((a + b + c + d) / 6) x 100.
What is a perfect passer rating?
A perfect NFL passer rating is 158.3, the maximum the formula can produce. Reaching it means maxing all four components at once: a completion percentage of at least 77.5%, at least 12.5 yards per attempt, a touchdown on at least 11.875% of attempts, and zero interceptions. Note that you do not need to complete every pass — for example, a 31-of-40 game (77.5%) with 500 yards, 5 touchdowns and no interceptions rates a perfect 158.3.
What is a good passer rating?
Context matters because the league has changed. When the formula was created in 1973, a rating of 66.7 was average and anything over 100 was considered excellent. By 2020 the league average had risen to about 93.6. As a rough guide today: 115+ is elite, 100-114 is excellent (Pro Bowl territory), 90-99 is above average, 75-89 is average starter range, 60-74 is below average, and below 60 is poor.
How is the college (NCAA) passer rating calculated?
College football uses a completely different formula with no clamping: NCAA rating = (8.4 x yards + 330 x touchdowns + 100 x completions - 200 x interceptions) / attempts. The scale runs from -731.6 to 1261.6, so the numbers look much bigger than NFL ratings. For example, a 22-of-30, 305-yard, 3-touchdown, 0-interception game scores 191.7 on the NCAA scale versus 138.9 on the NFL scale. Use the NCAA tab on this calculator for college lines.
Why is the maximum passer rating 158.3 instead of 100 or 200?
It is pure arithmetic, not a design choice. Each of the four components is capped at 2.375, so the largest possible sum is 4 x 2.375 = 9.5. Plugging that into the final step gives (9.5 / 6) x 100 = 158.333..., which is conventionally displayed as 158.3. The 2.375 cap itself was chosen so that a component value of 1.0 represented statistically average passing based on league data from 1960 to 1970.
What stat line produces a 0.0 passer rating?
Each component hits zero at a specific threshold: completion percentage of 30% or lower, yards per attempt of 3.0 or lower, zero touchdowns, and an interception rate of 9.5% or higher. A line of 3 completions in 10 attempts for 30 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception zeroes out all four components and rates 0.0. You cannot go below zero because every negative component is floored at 0.
Can a passer rating be negative?
No. The formula explicitly sets any negative component to zero before the final calculation, so the lowest possible NFL passer rating is 0.0. (The NCAA college formula has no such floor, which is why college ratings can technically dip below zero.) So can passer rating be negative? No — the floor is 0.0.
Who has the highest single-season passer rating in NFL history?
Aaron Rodgers' 122.5 passer rating in 2011 is the highest passer rating season on record (343 of 502, 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns, 6 interceptions). Peyton Manning's 2004 season (336 of 497, 4,557 yards, 49 touchdowns, 10 interceptions) rates 121.1, and Tom Brady's 2007 season (398 of 578, 4,806 yards, 50 touchdowns, 8 interceptions) rates 117.2. Try these lines in the calculator to see the component breakdowns.
What is the difference between passer rating and QBR?
When people ask about passer rating vs QBR, here is the distinction: passer rating is a fixed 1973 box-score formula using only completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns and interceptions, on a 0 to 158.3 scale. ESPN's Total QBR is a modern play-by-play model on a 0 to 100 scale that also accounts for sacks, fumbles, rushing contributions, down-and-distance context, and clutch weighting. Passer rating measures the passing line; QBR tries to measure the quarterback's total contribution to winning.
Do sacks count in passer rating?
No. The formula only sees completions, attempts, passing yards, touchdowns and interceptions. Sacks, fumbles, rushing yards, and yards lost on sacks are all invisible to it — one reason analysts supplement passer rating with stats like QBR or EPA when judging quarterbacks. A quarterback who takes many sacks but throws efficiently will still rate well.
Is the CFL passer rating the same formula?
Yes. The CFL passer rating formula is the same four-component formula the NFL uses, 0-to-158.3 formula as the NFL, so this calculator works for CFL stat lines too.
Why does the formula use strange numbers like 2.375?
The constants were calibrated by Don Smith and Seymour Siwoff of the Elias Sports Bureau from all qualified pro passing lines between 1960 and 1970. They designed the components so that 1.0 represented league-average performance and the caps (2.375, exactly 2 and 3/8) bounded the scale at both ends. The NFL adopted the formula in 1973 and applied it retroactively to games back to the 1930s.
Can I use this calculator for high school, college, or fantasy football?
Yes — the math works for any passing line at any level, and many fantasy football players use this fantasy football quarterback rating to sanity-check QB scoring. Just keep the context in mind: the 158.3 scale and its 'good vs. bad' tiers were calibrated on NFL play. For college stat lines, switch to the NCAA tab, which uses the formula college football actually publishes.
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