NFL
What does QBR rating mean? Who are the highest rated quarterbacks in the NFL so far this season?
Adjusted Total Quarterback Rating values quarterbacks on a 0-100 scale, adjusted for the strength of opposing defenses faced, across all play types.
Few stats capture the imagination of football fans like the Quarterback Rating. As a metric, it is often expressed as the gold standard of a quarterback’s, and therefore a team’s, performance during a game.
There are two main quarterback rating systems used in football, which are often confused with each other: the NFL Passer Rating and ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating (QBR).
NFL Passer Rating
The NFL Passer Rating is a widely used statistic to measure a quarterback’s passing performance.
It considers four factors:
- completion percentage,
- yards per attempt,
- touchdown percentage,
- and interception percentage.
The formula to calculate the Passer Rating is slightly complex and involves these four components. The rating ranges from 0 to 158.3, with a higher rating indicating a better performance.
Total Quarterback Rating (QBR)
ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating, also known as QBR, is a metric introduced by ESPN to provide a more complete evaluation of a quarterback’s overall contribution to a game. QBR considers various factors, including passing performance, rushing, fumbles, and situational factors, such as down and distance, adjusted for the strength and ranking of opposing defenses. It aims to provide a more holistic view of a quarterback’s impact on a game beyond traditional passing statistics.
The QBR scale ranges from 0 to 100, with 50 being an average performance. A score above 75 is typically considered excellent, while a score below 25 indicates a subpar performance.
2023-2024 NFL Playoffs: highest-rated quarterbacks
Over the regular season, Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers led the way with the highest rating in both stat ranking versions, with a Passer Rating of 116.9 and a QBR score of 74.7. He is followed closely by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott with a score of 74.6, just 0.1 behind. Surprisingly, Josh Allen holds the third spot on the QBR scale, but the Buffalo Bills quarterback is only ranked 10th on the NFL’s Passer Ratings.
Passer Rating:
- Brock Purdy, 116.9
- Dak Prescott, 107.5
- Tua Tagovailoa, 104.8
- Kirk Cousins, 103.8
- C.J. Stroud, 98.7
- Russell Wilson, 98.3
- Lamar Jackson, 97.7
- Jared Goff, 94.8
- Jalen Hurts, 93.5
- Josh Allen, 93.4
QBR:
- Brock Purdy, 74.7
- Dak Prescott, 74.6
- Josh Allen, 70.6
- Patrick Mahomes, 66.8
- Justin Herbert, 63.9
- Kirk Cousins, 63.2
- Matthew Stafford, 60.9
- Jalen Hurts, 60.3
- Trevor Lawrence, 60.0
- Lamar Jackson, 59.8
But over the course of the playoffs, there has been a sea change. The Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love and the Houston Texans’ CJ Stroud have taken the post season by storm, leading the stats for both lists. Stalwarts Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes follow them up, but the Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff is making waves as well.
Post Season Passer Rating:
- Jordan Love, 157.2
- C.J. Stroud, 157.2
- Josh Allen, 121.9
- Jared Goff, 121.8
- Matthew Stafford, 120.9
- Baker Mayfield, 119.8
- Jalen Hurts, 100.9
- Dak Prescott, 89.8
- Patrick Mahomes, 83.6
- Joe Flacco, 80.6
Post Season Total QBR:
- Jordan Love, 99.3
- C.J. Stroud, 98.4
- Josh Allen, 91.6
- Patrick Mahomes, 88.3
- Matthew Stafford, 75.4
- Jared Goff, 74.6
- Joe Flacco, 57.1
- Dak Prescott, 43.4
- Baker Mayfield, 42.7
- Mason Rudolph, 41.5