JUMP TO:
No stat can quite capture the full impact of an NFL quarterback.
Not only is leadership and poise critical to success at the position, but every quarterback in the league is impacted by the players around him, whether negatively or positively.
Passer rating can’t account for how much or how little help a quarterback receives, but it takes the stats and attempts to sum up a quarterback’s performance in one, simple number. On rare occasions, quarterbacks have mastered the art of the passer rating.
Here’s what you need to know about a perfect passer rating in the NFL and which quarterbacks have achieved it.
MORE: Full guide to NFL passer rating stat, from history, formula, records and more
What is a perfect passer rating in the NFL?
On occasion, a quarterback’s performance in one game is so impressive that he achieves a perfect passer rating of 158.3. While the number might sound obscure, it’s what every quarterback aims for — along with the win, of course.
A perfect passer rating is more complicated than a quarterback completing all or nearly all of his passes. Jared Goff finished 18-of-18 in a prime-time win over the Seattle Seahawks in 2024 but did not record a perfect passer rating because his touchdown rate wasn’t high enough.
Here is a look at the numbers required to achieve a perfect passer rating.
MORE: Inside the NFL’s concussion protocol
NFL perfect passer rating requirements
A perfect passer rating requires the following:
- Min. 10 pass attempts
- Min. 77.5% completion rate
- Min. 11.875% of passes result in touchdowns
- Min. 12.5 yards per attempt
Passer rating is entirely numbers-based, so there is no scorekeeper behind the scenes making the decision to give any player a perfect passer rating.
MORE: Explaining the NFL’s updated kickoff rules
Perfect passer rating games in NFL history
Here’s a look at every perfect passer rating game in history. Although the passer rating metric was created in 1973, the formula has been applied to previous games as well.
| QB | Date | Team | Opponent | Comp./Att. | Yards | TD |
| Ray Mallouf | Oct. 17, 1948 | Cardinals | Giants | 14/18 | 252 | 4 |
| Sammy Baugh | Oct. 16, 1949 | Redskins | Bulldogs | 16/20 | 254 | 4 |
| Otto Graham | Oct. 10, 1954 | Browns | Cardinals | 14/18 | 266 | 3 |
| George Ratterman | Nov. 7, 1954 | Browns | Redskins | 10/11 | 208 | 3 |
| Milt Plum | Oct. 5, 1958 | Browns | Steelers | 13/14 | 197 | 2 |
| M.C. Reynolds | Dec. 5, 1959 | Cardinals | Lions | 8/10 | 170 | 2 |
| Len Dawson | Sept. 7, 1963 | Chiefs | Broncos | 12/15 | 278 | 4 |
| Y.A. Tittle | Nov. 10, 1963 | Giants | Eagles | 16/20 | 261 | 3 |
| Frank Ryan | Dec. 12, 1964 | Browns | Giants | 12/13 | 202 | 5 |
| Sonny Jurgensen | Oct. 24, 1965 | Redskins | Cardinals | 12/14 | 195 | 3 |
| Joe Namath | Oct. 22, 1967 | Jets | Dolphins | 13/15 | 199 | 2 |
| Johnny Unitas | Nov. 12, 1967 | Colts | Falcons | 17/20 | 370 | 4 |
| Don Meredith | Dec. 24, 1967* | Cowboys | Browns | 10/12 | 212 | 2 |
| Craig Morton | Oct. 5, 1969 | Cowboys | Eagles | 14/18 | 261 | 3 |
| Fran Tarkenton | Oct. 25, 1970 | Giants | Cardinals | 15/18 | 280 | 5 |
| Daryle Lamonica | Sept. 17, 1972 | Raiders | Steelers | 8/10 | 172 | 2 |
| Dick Shiner | Sept. 16, 1973 | Falcons | Saints | 13/25 | 227 | 3 |
| Bob Lee | Oct. 14, 1973 | Falcons | Bears | 11/13 | 181 | 2 |
| James Harris | Oct. 20, 1974 | Rams | 49ers | 12/15 | 276 | 3 |
| Ken Anderson | Nov. 3, 1974 | Bengals | Colts | 17/21 | 297 | 3 |
| Jim Hart | Nov. 23, 1975 | Cardinals | Jets | 11/13 | 242 | 2 |
| Dan Fouts | Sept. 26, 1976 | Chargers | Cardinals | 15/18 | 259 | 4 |
| Scott Hunter | Oct. 31, 1976 | Falcons | Saints | 10/11 | 238 | 2 |
| Terry Bradshaw | Dec. 19, 1976* | Steelers | Colts | 14/18 | 264 | 3 |
| Steve Grogan | Oct. 29, 1978 | Patriots | Jets | 15/19 | 281 | 4 |
| Brian Sipe | Oct. 29, 1978 | Browns | Bills | 12/15 | 217 | 3 |
| Bob Griese | Dec. 18, 1978 | Dolphins | Patriots | 12/13 | 171 | 2 |
| Vince Evans | Dec. 7, 1980 | Bears | Packers | 18/22 | 316 | 3 |
| Craig Morton | Sept. 27, 1981 | Broncos | Chargers | 17/18 | 308 | 4 |
| Dave Krieg | Dec. 24, 1983* | Seahawks | Broncos | 12/13 | 200 | 3 |
| Steve Bartkowski | Sept. 23, 1984 | Falcons | Oilers | 11/13 | 195 | 3 |
| Ken O’Brien | Nov. 2, 1986 | Jets | Seahawks | 26/32 | 431 | 4 |
| Steve Young | Oct. 22, 1989 | 49ers | Patriots | 11/12 | 188 | 2 |
| Joe Montana | Nov. 12, 1989 | 49ers | Falcons | 16/19 | 270 | 3 |
| Ken O’Brien | Dec. 23, 1990 | Jets | Patriots | 11/12 | 210 | 2 |
| Rich Gannon | Oct. 15, 1992 | Vikings | Lions | 8/10 | 146 | 2 |
| Bobby Hebert | Sept. 12, 1993 | Falcons | Saints | 14/18 | 243 | 3 |
| Mike Buck | Oct. 17, 1993 | Saints | Steelers | 10/11 | 164 | 2 |
| Drew Bledsoe | Dec. 26, 1993 | Patriots | Colts | 9/11 | 143 | 2 |
| Craig Erickson | Oct. 11, 1994 | Buccaneers | Colts | 19/24 | 313 | 3 |
| Dave Krieg | Nov. 24, 1994 | Lions | Bills | 20/25 | 351 | 3 |
| Chris Chandler | Sept. 25, 1995 | Oilers | Bengals | 23/26 | 352 | 4 |
| Jeff Blake | Oct. 19, 1995 | Bengals | Steelers | 18/22 | 275 | 3 |
| Kurt Warner | Oct. 3, 1999 | Rams | Bengals | 17/21 | 310 | 3 |
| Kurt Warner | Oct. 1, 2000 | Rams | Chargers | 24/30 | 391 | 4 |
| Peyton Manning | Oct. 22, 2000 | Colts | Patriots | 16/20 | 268 | 3 |
| Doug Flutie | Dec. 24, 2000 | Bills | Seahawks | 20/25 | 366 | 3 |
| Peyton Manning | Nov. 10, 2002 | Colts | Eagles | 18/23 | 319 | 3 |
| Kerry Collins | Dec. 22, 2002 | Giants | Colts | 23/29 | 366 | 4 |
| Peyton Manning | Sept. 28, 2003 | Colts | Saints | 20/25 | 314 | 6 |
| Chad Pennington | Nov. 16, 2003 | Jets | Colts | 11/14 | 219 | 3 |
| Trent Green | Dec. 14, 2003 | Chiefs | Lions | 20/25 | 341 | 3 |
| Peyton Manning | Jan. 4, 2004* | Colts | Broncos | 22/26 | 377 | 5 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Sept. 11, 2005 | Steelers | Titans | 9/11 | 218 | 2 |
| Donovan McNabb | Sept. 23, 2007 | Eagles | Lions | 21/26 | 381 | 4 |
| Tom Brady | Oct. 21, 2007 | Patriots | Dolphins | 21/25 | 354 | 6 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Nov. 5, 2007 | Steelers | Ravens | 13/16 | 209 | 5 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Dec. 20, 2007 | Steelers | Rams | 16/20 | 361 | 3 |
| Kurt Warner | Sept. 14, 2008 | Cardinals | Dolphins | 19/24 | 361 | 3 |
| Eli Manning | Oct. 11, 2009 | Giants | Raiders | 8/10 | 173 | 2 |
| Drew Brees | Nov. 30, 2009 | Saints | Patriots | 18/23 | 371 | 5 |
| Tom Brady | Nov. 25, 2010 | Patriots | Lions | 21/27 | 341 | 4 |
| Robert Griffin III | Nov. 18, 2012 | Redskins | Eagles | 14/15 | 200 | 4 |
| Nick Foles | Nov. 3, 2013 | Eagles | Raiders | 22/28 | 406 | 7 |
| Alex Smith | Dec. 15, 2013 | Chiefs | Raiders | 17/20 | 287 | 5 |
| Geno Smith | Dec. 28, 2014 | Jets | Dolphins | 20/25 | 358 | 3 |
| Marcus Mariota | Sept. 13, 2015 | Titans | Buccaneers | 13/16 | 209 | 4 |
| Ryan Tannehill | Oct. 25, 2015 | Dolphins | Texans | 18/19 | 282 | 4 |
| Kirk Cousins | Nov. 15, 2015 | Redskins | Titans | 20/25 | 324 | 4 |
| Jared Goff | Sept. 27, 2018 | Rams | Vikings | 26/33 | 465 | 5 |
| Russell Wilson | Oct. 28, 2018 | Seahawks | Lions | 14/17 | 248 | 3 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Nov. 8, 2018 | Steelers | Panthers | 22/25 | 328 | 5 |
| Lamar Jackson | Sept. 8, 2019 | Ravens | Dolphins | 17/20 | 324 | 5 |
| Dak Prescott | Sept. 8, 2019 | Cowboys | Giants | 25/32 | 405 | 4 |
| Deshaun Watson | Oct. 6, 2019 | Texans | Falcons | 28/33 | 426 | 5 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Oct. 20, 2019 | Packers | Raiders | 25/31 | 429 | 5 |
| Lamar Jackson | Nov. 10, 2019 | Ravens | Bengals | 15/17 | 223 | 3 |
| Tom Brady | Dec. 26, 2020 | Buccaneers | Lions | 22/27 | 348 | 4 |
| Josh Allen | Oct. 1, 2023 | Bills | Dolphins | 21/25 | 320 | 4 |
| Brock Purdy | Nov. 19, 2023 | 49ers | Buccaneers | 21/25 | 333 | 3 |
| Baker Mayfield | Dec. 17, 2023 | Buccaneers | Packers | 22/28 | 381 | 4 |
| Lamar Jackson | Dec. 31, 2023 | Ravens | Dolphins | 18/21 | 321 | 5 |
| Kyler Murray | Sept. 15, 2024 | Cardinals | Rams | 17/21 | 266 | 3 |
| Lamar Jackson | Nov. 3, 2024 | Ravens | Broncos | 16/19 | 280 | 3 |
| Jared Goff | Nov. 17, 2024 | Lions | Jaguars | 24/29 | 412 | 4 |
* — Playoff game
MORE: Most Super Bowl wins in history by player
Players with multiple perfect passer rating games
Nine players have achieved a perfect passer rating game multiple times, including the playoffs, led by Peyton Manning, Lamar Jackson and Ben Roethlisberger’s four each. Here is the full leaderboard:
| QB | Perfect passer rating games | Team(s) |
| Lamar Jackson | 4 | Ravens |
| Peyton Manning | 4 | Colts |
| Ben Roethlisberger | 4 | Steelers |
| Tom Brady | 3 | Patriots, Buccaneers |
| Kurt Warner | 3 | Rams, Cardinals |
| Jared Goff | 2 | Rams, Lions |
| Dave Krieg | 2 | Lions, Seahawks |
| Craig Morton | 2 | Cowboys, Broncos |
| Ken O’Brien | 2 | Jets |
MORE: What to know about NFL scorigami meaning, history and more
Perfect passer ratings in the NFL playoffs
Four quarterbacks have achieved a perfect passer rating in the playoffs.
Don Meredith, Cowboys (1967)
- Score: Cowboys 52, Browns 14
- Stats: 11/13, 212 yards, 2 TD
Don Meredith made NFL history with the first perfect passer rating playoff game when he threw for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 completions in a resounding win over the Cleveland Browns to advance to the NFL championship game. The performance was the only perfect passer rating game of Meredith’s career.
Terry Bradshaw, Steelers (1976)
- Score: Steelers 40, Colts 14
- Stats: 14/18, 264 yards, 3 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw’s only perfect passer rating game came in the playoffs, when he threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns on 14 completions in a road blowout of the Colts. The success was short-lived, as Bradshaw would go on to struggle in an AFC championship loss to the Raiders that saw Pittsburgh score only seven points.
Dave Krieg, Seahawks (1983)
- Score: Seahawks 31, Broncos 7
- Stats: 12/13, 200 yards, 3 TD
Dave Krieg was just about perfect in his first career playoff start, tossing only one incompletion in a blowout win over the Broncos to push the Seahawks to the divisional round. Krieg is one of two players in NFL history with a perfect passer rating game in both the regular season and playoffs, as he recorded his second such performance with the Lions in 1994.
Peyton Manning, Colts (2003)
- Score: Colts 41, Broncos 10
- Stats: 22/26, 377 yards, 5 TD
Peyton Manning was brilliant in the Colts’ playoff opener in 2003, throwing for 377 yards and five touchdowns in a blowout win over his future team. The performance gave Manning the fourth perfect passer rating game of his career, though he would surprisingly never record another.
MORE: Comparing overtime rules for the preseason, regular season and postseason
How rare is a perfect passer rating?
Perfect passer ratings have been recorded in just 0.24 percent of all quarterback starts in NFL history — or about one in every 423 starts.
Pro Football Reference counts roughly 18,000 total games in NFL history, including the playoffs. Each game has two starting quarterbacks, which pushes the total to nearly 36,000 quarterback starts in NFL history. With only 85 perfect passer rating games on the books, the average comes out to the miniscule figure of one per every 4we starts.
MORE: What is a catch in the NFL? Explaining NFL’s controversial rule
Perfect passer rating FAQs
Who is the youngest QB to record a perfect passer rating?
Robert Griffin III became the youngest quarterback to achieve a perfect passer rating when he went 14-of-15 for 200 yards and four touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 18, 2012. Griffin, a rookie at the time, was only 22 years old.
Who is the oldest QB to record a perfect passer rating?
Tom Brady became the oldest quarterback to achieve a perfect passer rating when he finished 22-of-27 for 348 yards and four touchdowns against the Detroit Lions on Dec, 26, 2020. Brady was 43 years old at the time.
Which team has given up the most perfect passer ratings?
The Dolphins and Lions have each allowed seven perfect passer rating games in their history, tied for the most all time.
Which team has given up the least perfect passer ratings?
The Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs are the only two NFL teams who have never allowed a perfect passer rating game.
MORE: Explaining unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the NFL
Which team has recorded the most perfect passer ratings?
Three teams are tied for the most perfect passer rating games, and two are ones you would least expect: the Browns and Jets, in addition to the Falcons. The caveat is Cleveland’s last perfect passer rating came in 1978, and that is the franchise’s only perfect passer rating after 1964; the Browns have not had any perfect passer rating games since the newest iteration of their franchise was founded in 1999.
Four quarterbacks make up five perfect passer rating games for the perpetually quarterback-starved Jets, including two from Ken O’Brien, while the Falcons have seen five different quarterbacks achieve a perfect passer rating but none since 1993.
Which team has recorded the least perfect passer ratings?
The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars are the only NFL teams without a perfect passer rating game in their history.
The Panthers and Jaguars are fairly new franchises by NFL standards, as they both made their debuts in 1995, but that still means more than three decades have passed without a perfect passer rating game for two teams that have historically had a difficult time finding solutions at quarterback.
MORE: Everything to know about the NFL’s personal conduct policy
