# What is the passer rating?

Works out a quarterback’s NFL passer rating from completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns and interceptions, with each of the four parts and the NCAA passing efficiency.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/sports/passer-rating-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/sports/passer-rating-calculator.json
- Version: 3397ecdf0a21

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Pass attempts 497, Completions 336, Passing yards 4,557, Touchdown passes 49, Interceptions 10): With 336 of 497 for 4,557 yards, 49 TD and 10 INT, the passer rating is 121.1.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| att | Pass attempts | The number of passes thrown. |
| comp | Completions | The number of passes caught by a teammate. |
| yds | Passing yards | The yards gained on completed passes. It can be below 0. |
| td | Touchdown passes | The completed passes that scored a touchdown. |
| int | Interceptions | The passes caught by the other team. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| rating | NFL passer rating | The NFL passer rating, from 0 to 158.3. |
| a | Completion part | (completions ÷ attempts − 0.3) × 5, held between 0 and 2.375. |
| b | Yards part | (yards ÷ attempts − 3) × 0.25, held between 0 and 2.375. |
| c | Touchdown part | touchdowns ÷ attempts × 20, held between 0 and 2.375. |
| d | Interception part | 2.375 − interceptions ÷ attempts × 25, held between 0 and 2.375. |
| ncaa | NCAA passing efficiency | (8.4 × yards + 330 × touchdowns + 100 × completions − 200 × interceptions) ÷ attempts. |
| pct | Completion rate | Completions ÷ attempts. |

## Method

a = (comp ÷ att − 0.3) × 5; b = (yds ÷ att − 3) × 0.25; c = td ÷ att × 20; d = 2.375 − int ÷ att × 25; each held to 0 to 2.375; rating = (a + b + c + d) ÷ 6 × 100. NCAA = (8.4 × yds + 330 × td + 100 × comp − 200 × int) ÷ att.

## Assumptions

- The totals are for any span: a game, a season or a career.
- Touchdown passes are completions, and interceptions are incomplete passes, so td ≤ completions and int ≤ attempts − completions.
- The NFL rating is shown to one decimal, as the league publishes it.

## Worked examples

1. att = 497, comp = 336, yds = 4,557, td = 49, int = 10 gives rating = 121.105801, a = 1.880282, b = 1.542254, c = 1.971831, d = 1.871982, ncaa = 173.136419. Source: Pro Football Reference, 2004 Indianapolis Colts statistics (Peyton Manning: 336 of 497, 4,557 yards, 49 TD, 10 INT, rating 121.1), https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/clt/2004.htm (retrieved 2026-10-05) (rating 121.1); Wikipedia, Passer rating (NFL and NCAA formulas; each NFL part is held between 0 and 2.375; a perfect NFL rating is 158.3), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passer_rating (retrieved 2026-10-05).
2. att = 20, comp = 20, yds = 500, td = 6, int = 0 gives rating = 158.333333, a = 2.375, b = 2.375, c = 2.375, d = 2.375, ncaa = 409. Source: Wikipedia, Passer rating (NFL and NCAA formulas; each NFL part is held between 0 and 2.375; a perfect NFL rating is 158.3), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passer_rating (retrieved 2026-10-05) (perfect rating 158.3).
3. att = 10, comp = 2, yds = 10, td = 0, int = 4 gives rating = 0, a = 0, b = 0, c = 0, d = 0, ncaa = -51.6. Source: Wikipedia, Passer rating (NFL and NCAA formulas; each NFL part is held between 0 and 2.375; a perfect NFL rating is 158.3), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passer_rating (retrieved 2026-10-05).

## FAQ

### What is the NFL passer rating formula?

Four parts, each held between 0 and 2.375: a = (completions ÷ attempts − 0.3) × 5, b = (yards ÷ attempts − 3) × 0.25, c = touchdowns ÷ attempts × 20 and d = 2.375 − interceptions ÷ attempts × 25. The rating is (a + b + c + d) ÷ 6 × 100.

### What is a perfect passer rating?

158.3. It needs every part at its 2.375 cap: a completion rate of 77.5% or more, 12.5 yards an attempt or more, touchdowns on 11.875% of attempts or more, and no interceptions.

### Can a passer rating be 0?

Yes. Each part stops at 0, so the lowest rating is 0. It happens with a completion rate of 30% or less, 3 yards an attempt or less, no touchdowns and interceptions on 9.5% of attempts or more.

### How is the NCAA passer rating different?

College football uses passing efficiency: (8.4 × yards + 330 × touchdowns + 100 × completions − 200 × interceptions) ÷ attempts. It has no caps, so it can go below 0 or above 1,000.

### What is a good passer rating?

In recent NFL seasons the league average has been in the 90s. A rating above 100 over a season is very good; Peyton Manning’s 49-touchdown 2004 season rated 121.1.

### Does the passer rating count rushing or sacks?

No. It uses only passing: attempts, completions, passing yards, touchdown passes and interceptions. Sacks and runs are not in it.

## Sources

- Wikipedia, Passer rating: the NFL and NCAA formulas, the 0 to 2.375 limits and the perfect 158.3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passer_rating (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Pro Football Reference, 2004 Indianapolis Colts statistics: Peyton Manning 336 of 497, 4,557 yards, 49 TD, 10 INT, rating 121.1. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/clt/2004.htm (retrieved 2026-10-05)