Elite quarterbacks can lead their team to a championship while teams with bad quarterback play will have a hard time finding success. A statistic that is often used in football to measure a quarterback’s performance is a formula called total quarterback rating or (QBR). So, you might be wondering what is considered to be a good total quarterback rating?
A good total quarterback rating (QBR) in the NFL is a rating of 50 or higher. Below average NFL quarterbacks typically have a QBR rating of 45 and below. Elite quarterbacks typically have an average QBR of 60 or higher. A quarterback’s total quarterback rating is measured on a scale from 0 to 100, with a 100 being a perfect rating.
In this article we will discuss more in-depth what a total quarterback rating is, how it’s calculated, compare it to other football statistical formulas as well as everything you need to know about QBR.
Let’s get started.
Quarterback Rating (QBR)
How do you judge a quarterback’s performance for a game and even season? Well ESPN created a statistic called total quarterback rating that’s often abbreviated as total QBR or simply QBR. A QBR is a formula that is used to measure a quarterback’s performance and factors every stat that contributes to winning a football game from the quarterback position.
The average total quarterback rating (QBR) in the NFL is a 50. The top 5 NFL quarterbacks typically have a QBR of 60 or above during most seasons. Bad NFL quarterbacks generally have a QBR of 40 or below.
Here is a table that breaks down the different QBR numbers and how they compare to the different levels of play.
| Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) | Level of Play |
|---|---|
| 100 | Perfect |
| 60 and above | Elite |
| 55-60 | Good |
| 50-45 | Average |
| 35 and below | Terrible |
The table above gives you a general idea on the different categories of numbers and what type of quarterbacks tend to put up.
What is Total Quarterback Rating (QBR)?
ESPN Stats & Information group created a metric called The Total Quarterback Rating (Total QBR). It’s a statistical approach to evaluating the NFL quarterback position. Total QBR measures all of the significant contributions by a quarterback during the course of a game and accounts for precisely how much he impacts his team’s performance and chances of winning.
This metric created by ESPN is based on all of quarterback play including rushing, passing, sacks, fumbles, interceptions, penalties, etc. and it calculates the per-play net impact of the quarterback on the ability score. Moreover, it also weighs each play by difficulty and situation. The overall system measures a quarterback’s performance using a 100-point system.
How Total Quarterback Rating is Calculated
One of the knocks of total quarterback rating has been that ESPN hasn’t shared the exact formula on how a QBR is calculated leading many to believe its high subjective. However, what we do know is that the metric takes into account all of a quarterback contributions to a game, including passing, rushing, sacks, penalties, touchdowns and turnovers
It also is supposed to factor and weight each play on its “difficulty”, the context of the game, and the strength of the opposing defense. How these all contribute to the overall stat hasn’t been released to the general public.
We do however know that a QBR functions on a 0-100 scale, where average NFL quarterbacks typically have around a 50 QBR, while top-tier/Pro Bowl caliber quarterbacks score around a 75.
For more details on how QBR is calculated check out this article on EPSN.com
Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) vs. Passer Rating
Quarterback rating and passer rating are both stats that measure a quarterback’s performance during a football game. Each one has different stats it uses to help measure how well a quarterback is playing.
Here is a breakdown of the differences between the two and how they are measured.
Passer Rating
A passer rating is a method used to measure a quarterback’s performance by taking into account yards, touchdowns, interceptions, and completion/attempts, to calculate a rating on a scale of 0 to 158.3
It’s one of the most common and basic ways to determine how well a quarterback is playing. The formula used to calculate Passer Rating can be found here.
For a more in-depth look at comparing these two stats check out this article: Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) vs. Passer Rating.
Quarterback Rating (QBR)
QBR is a statistic that was originally created by ESPN that is also used to measure the performance of a QB. The attention of the QBR is to include all the factors a quarterback has on winning a game. Including yards, penalties, rushing yards and turnovers that are not included in a quarterback’s passer rating. It’s thought of as being a better alternative to a passer rating to measure a QB performance.
However, ESPN hasn’t released the specific formula to calculate QBR, which has led to some criticisms and claims that it’s entirely subjective.
Highest QB Rating (Season)
It’s one thing for a quarterback to score a high QBR in a single game, but it’s much more difficult to perform well over a career.
Here is a list of the top 10 highest QBR ratings over a given season.
| Player | Year | QBR |
| Tom Brady (NE) | 2007 | 87.0 |
| Peyton Manning (IND) | 2006 | 86.4 |
| Aaron Rodgers (GB) | 2011 | 83.8 |
| Lamar Jackson (BAL) | 2019 | 83.0 |
| Drew Brees (NO) | 2009 | 82.0 |
| David Garrard (JAX) | 2007 | 80.9 |
| Peyton Manning (IND) | 2009 | 80.7 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 2018 | 80.3 |
| Aaron Rodgers | 2020 | 79.8 |
Highest QBR (Single Game)
Here is a look at some of the greatest single game QBR performances.
| Player | Date | QBR | Result |
| Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) | 10/26/2014 | 99.2 | W 51-34 vs. IND |
| Mike Vick (PHI) | 11/15/2010 | 99.7 | W 59-28 at WSH |
| Tom Brady (NE) | 11/18/2007 | 98.9 | W 56-10 at BUF |
| Deshuan Watson (HOU) | 10/01/2017 | 98.7 | W 57-14 vs. TEN |
| Lamar Jackson (BAL) | 11/25/2019 | 98.7 | W 45-6 at LAR |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick (HOU) | 11/30/2014 | 99.1 | W 45-21 vs. TEN |
| Russell Wilson (SEA) | 12/16/2012 | 99.3 | W 50-17 at BUF |
| Josh Allen (BUF) | 12/19/2020 | 97.5 | W 48-19 at DEN |
| Aaron Rodgers (GB) | 10/02/2011 | 96.8 | W 49-23 vs. DEN |
| Drew Brees (NO) | 10/18/2009 | 98.5 | W 48-27 vs NYG |
Lowest QB Rating Ever
In contrast there have been quarterbacks that have underperformed and have an all time low QBR.
Here is a look at some of the worst QBR over a season.
| Player | Year | QBR |
| Jimmy Clausen (CAR) | 2010 | 13.8 |
| Blaine Gabbert (JAX) | 2011 | 22.2 |
| Andrew Walter (OAK) | 2006 | 23.0 |
| Josh Rosen (ARI) | 2018 | 24.1 |
| Matt Cassel (KC) | 2012 | 25.5 |
| Justin Fields (CHI) | 2021 | 26.1 |
| Blake Bortles (JAX) | 2014 | 28.0 |
| Zach Wilson (NYJ) | 2021 | 28.2 |
| Mark Sanchez (NYJ) | 2012 | 28.2 |
QB Rating FAQ
Is a 95 QBR good? A total quarterback rating (QBR) of 95 is considered extremely good. Quarterbacks with elite performance typically have a QBR of 90 or higher. Making a QBR of 95 is very good.
Is QBR a good Stat? The total quarterback rating (QBR) is a popular way to measure a quarterback’s performance. However, because ESPN hasn’t released exactly how the formula works and how it’s calculated a lot of people are under the belief that it is a very subjective statistic.
Who has the highest QBR in history? There are multiple players that are tied for having the highest QBR rating in NFL history. Carson Palmer, Lamar Jackson and Colin Kaepernick are tied for having the highest QBR rating of all time with a QBR of 99.8. No quarterback has ever scored a perfect rating of 100.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article provides some clarity on what is considered to be a good passer rating at the different levels of football and that you consider the different variables we discussed in this article.