What Is a Good Passer Rating?
A passer rating number only means something once you know the scale. On the NFL's 0-to-158.3 scale, here is how the tiers break down and what moves them.
The tiers
- Under 80 — struggling: usually turnovers or low yards per attempt dragging it down.
- ~90 — league average: roughly the middle of the league.
- 95 – 110 — good: efficient, winning-level quarterback play.
- 110+ — elite: MVP-level efficiency across a season.
- 158.3 — perfect: the maximum, with every component maxed out.
What actually moves it
The two biggest levers are completion percentage and yards per attempt. A quarterback can complete a lot of short passes and still post a mediocre rating if the yards per attempt is low. Touchdowns push it up quickly, and interceptions punish it hard — a couple of picks can tank an otherwise strong line.
Single game vs season
A single game can spike to 158.3 or crater near zero because the sample is tiny. Season-long ratings are steadier: a 100-plus season is very good, and the all-time single-season leaders sit in the high 110s to low 120s.
Context and limits
Passer rating ignores rushing, sacks, and situation, so it is a useful shorthand, not the whole story. Still, it is the quickest read on passing efficiency. See exactly how passer rating is calculated, then test any stat line in the Passer Rating Calculator.
What is a good passer rating?
On the NFL scale, around 90 is league average, 95 to 110 is good, and 110-plus is elite. A perfect passer rating is 158.3.
What is a bad passer rating?
Under about 80 is a struggling day, usually driven by interceptions or a low yards-per-attempt figure.
What does a 158.3 passer rating mean?
It is a perfect passer rating — the maximum on the NFL scale — reached when completion %, yards per attempt, TD rate, and INT rate all hit their caps.