Passer Rating Calculator

1. What is a Passer Rating Calculator?

Definition: The Passer Rating Calculator computes the passer rating for a quarterback, a metric used in football to evaluate passing performance. It calculates both the NFL/CFL rating and the NCAA rating.

Purpose: It helps assess a quarterback’s efficiency and effectiveness in passing, allowing comparisons across different leagues and levels of play.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the following formulas:

NFL/CFL Passer Rating:

\( a = \left( \frac{\text{Completions}}{\text{Attempts}} \times 100 - 30 \right) \times 0.05 \)

\( b = \left( \frac{\text{Yards}}{\text{Attempts}} - 3 \right) \times 0.25 \)

\( c = \frac{\text{Touchdowns}}{\text{Attempts}} \times 20 \)

\( d = 2.375 - \left( \frac{\text{Interceptions}}{\text{Attempts}} \times 25 \right) \)

\( \text{NFL/CFL Passer Rating} = \left( \frac{a + b + c + d}{6} \right) \times 100 \)

Each component (\( a, b, c, d \)) is capped between 0 and 2.375.

NCAA Passer Rating:

\( \text{NCAA Passer Rating} = \frac{(8.4 \times \text{Yards}) + (330 \times \text{Touchdowns}) + (100 \times \text{Completions}) - (200 \times \text{Interceptions})}{\text{Attempts}} \)

Where:

Passing Attempts: Total pass attempts by the quarterback.
Completions: Number of passes completed.
Passing Yards: Total yards gained from passing.
Touchdowns: Number of passing touchdowns.
Interceptions: Number of passes intercepted.

Steps:

Enter the Passing Attempts, Completions, Passing Yards, Touchdowns, and Interceptions as non-negative whole numbers.
Validate inputs to ensure Attempts is greater than zero, and Completions, Touchdowns, and Interceptions do not exceed Attempts.
Calculate the NFL/CFL and NCAA passer ratings using the formulas above.
Display both ratings to 2 decimal places.

3. Importance of Passer Rating Calculation

Calculating passer rating is crucial for:

Performance Evaluation: Provides a standardized metric to assess a quarterback’s passing efficiency.
Player Comparison: Allows comparison of quarterbacks across different games, seasons, or leagues.
Team Strategy: Helps coaches evaluate quarterback performance for game planning and player development.

4. Using the Calculator

Example 1: A quarterback has 30 attempts, 20 completions, 250 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception:

Attempts: 30, Completions: 20, Yards: 250, Touchdowns: 2, Interceptions: 1
NFL/CFL Rating:
\( a = \left( \frac{20}{30} \times 100 - 30 \right) \times 0.05 = 1.833 \)
\( b = \left( \frac{250}{30} - 3 \right) \times 0.25 \approx 1.333 \)
\( c = \frac{2}{30} \times 20 \approx 1.333 \)
\( d = 2.375 - \left( \frac{1}{30} \times 25 \right) \approx 1.542 \)
Rating: \( \left( \frac{1.833 + 1.333 + 1.333 + 1.542}{6} \right) \times 100 \approx 100.42 \)
NCAA Rating:
\( \frac{(8.4 \times 250) + (330 \times 2) + (100 \times 20) - (200 \times 1)}{30} = \frac{2100 + 660 + 2000 - 200}{30} \approx 152.00 \)

Example 2: A quarterback has 40 attempts, 25 completions, 300 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions:

Attempts: 40, Completions: 25, Yards: 300, Touchdowns: 3, Interceptions: 2
NFL/CFL Rating:
\( a = \left( \frac{25}{40} \times 100 - 30 \right) \times 0.05 = 1.625 \)
\( b = \left( \frac{300}{40} - 3 \right) \times 0.25 = 1.125 \)
\( c = \frac{3}{40} \times 20 = 1.5 \)
\( d = 2.375 - \left( \frac{2}{40} \times 25 \right) = 1.125 \)
Rating: \( \left( \frac{1.625 + 1.125 + 1.5 + 1.125}{6} \right) \times 100 \approx 89.58 \)
NCAA Rating:
\( \frac{(8.4 \times 300) + (330 \times 3) + (100 \times 25) - (200 \times 2)}{40} = \frac{2520 + 990 + 2500 - 400}{40} \approx 140.25 \)

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is a good NFL passer rating?
A: In the NFL, a rating above 90 is good, above 100 is excellent, and 158.3 is a perfect rating.

Q: Why do NFL/CFL and NCAA use different formulas?
A: The NFL/CFL formula balances multiple aspects of passing (completion, yards, touchdowns, interceptions) with caps, while the NCAA formula emphasizes raw production, leading to higher ratings.

Q: Can passer rating be negative in NCAA?
A: Yes, if interceptions significantly outweigh positive contributions, the NCAA rating can be negative, unlike the NFL/CFL rating, which is capped at 0.