Passer Rating Calculator
Passer rating on both the NFL and college formulas — one capped at 158.3, one uncapped, and they disagree by hundreds.
Both formulas use the same five inputs and nothing else — no sacks, no rushing, no context of any kind. Neither is a measure of how well someone played; they are arithmetic on a box score. Nothing is uploaded.
One name, two formulas, and only one of them has a ceiling
The NFL version clamps each of four components into 0 to 2.375. That is where the famous 158.3 comes from — four capped components over six, times a hundred — and nothing can exceed it. The college version weights the same inputs directly and clamps nothing, so a single long touchdown gives 1261.6.
| Line | NFL | College | Components capped |
|---|---|---|---|
| A good afternoon 24 of 33, 300 yards, 2 TD | 120.8 | 169.1 | 1 of 4 |
| A perfect afternoon 33 of 33, 500 yards, 5 TD | 158.3 | 277.3 | 4 of 4 |
| Efficient but short 20 of 22, 180 yards, 1 TD | 115.9 | 174.6 | 2 of 4 |
| Wild and productive 18 of 40, 400 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT | 83.3 | 147.0 | 0 of 4 |
| One 99-yard touchdown A single attempt | 158.3 | 1261.6 | 4 of 4 |
Look at the last two rows. Thirty-three completions for five touchdowns and a single ninety-nine-yard throw are the same number to the NFL formula — both 158.3, because both max all four components. The college formula puts them 984 points apart. Neither is wrong; they are answering different questions, and they share a name.
Above the cap, getting better stops showing
Each component saturates at an exact input: completions at 77.5%, yards at 12.5 per attempt, touchdowns at 11.875% of throws. Past that point the NFL rating simply stops responding — completing 77.5% and completing 100% of the same passes score identically.
| Completions of 40 | Rate | NFL | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 60.0% | 118.75 | 168.8 |
| 28 | 70.0% | 127.08 | 178.8 |
| 31 | 77.5% | 133.33 — capped | 186.3 |
| 34 | 85.0% | 133.33 — capped | 193.8 |
| 37 | 92.5% | 133.33 — capped | 201.3 |
| 40 | 100.0% | 133.33 — capped | 208.8 |
Nine more completions, no change at all in the NFL column, and a steady climb in the college one. The clamp works at both ends: a line with no interceptions maxes that component, and enough of them floor it at zero rather than driving the rating negative. It is a bounded index, not a measurement, and the bound is doing more work than the formula's reputation suggests.
How to use
- Enter completions, attempts and yards.
- Enter touchdowns and interceptions.
- Read both formulas side by side.
- Check which of the four NFL components have hit their cap.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a perfect passer rating 158.3?
Because the NFL formula clamps each of its four components into 0 to 2.375. Four components at the cap, divided by six and multiplied by a hundred, gives 158.333 — so the ceiling is an artefact of the clamping, not a round number chosen for it.
What are the four components?
Completion rate, yards per attempt, touchdown rate and interception rate, each scaled and then clamped. The interception term counts down from the cap rather than up, so a clean afternoon maxes it and enough interceptions floor it at zero.
At what point does each component max out?
Completions at 77.5%, yards at 12.5 per attempt, touchdowns on 11.875% of throws, and interceptions at zero. Those are exact, and past them the rating stops responding entirely.
So a better game can score the same?
Yes — completing 77.5% of forty passes and completing all forty of them give an identical rating, everything else held equal. Nine more completions, no movement at all. The formula cannot see the difference.
How does the college formula differ?
It weights the same five inputs directly and clamps nothing at all. That means no ceiling: a single 99-yard touchdown pass on one attempt produces a rating over 1,200, which the NFL formula reports as 158.3 like any other maxed line.
Which formula is right?
Neither, in the sense that neither measures how well someone played. They are arithmetic on five box-score numbers, with no sacks, no rushing and no context. They share a name and answer different questions, so quoting one as "passer rating" is ambiguous.
Why does the NFL cap the components at all?
To keep the index bounded and stop one extraordinary category from carrying a bad afternoon. It is a defensible design choice with a real cost: at the top of the range, the thing being measured stops affecting the measurement.
Does this send anything anywhere?
No. Every figure is computed in your browser, and nothing is uploaded or stored.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or stored.