NFL Power Rankings: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and the "Perfect" Games by QBs (2024)

In the history of the NFL, only 57 "perfect" games have been thrown. Considering that quarterbacks have had over 30,000 opportunities to reach the magic mark of a 158.3 passer rating, that's a very low number.

It's one of the crowning achievements in a quarterback's individual career. While I'm sure none of the players on this list would say it means as much as a Super Bowl, there is no doubt that it is a special achievement.

However, because of the inefficiencies of the passer rating system, the degrees of "perfection" vary. There's no way that Craig Erickson's game in 1994 was as good as Peyton Manning's in 2004, as you'll soon find out.

I recently created a new statistic for measuring a quarterback's performance in the passing game. The statistic is called Passer Score and is a much better yardstick for evaluation.

When you're looking through the following list, keep in mind that the situation is irrelevant. The sole intent is to take a look at the greatest statistical performances of all time by quarterbacks.

The worst game on the list belongs to Craig Erickson.

In 1994, Erickson led his Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 24-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

He completed 19 of his 24 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns.

It all added up to a Passer Score of 137.00.

Playing for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2003, Trent Green led his team to a decisive 45-17 win over the Detroit Lions.

In the process, he completed 20 of his 25 passes for 341 yards and three scores.

A great game for sure, but on this list it won't seem like it compared to the even better performances of history.

Green earned a Passer Score of 139.92 for his efforts.

In 2002, Kerry Collins led his New York Giants to a 44-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

He did so by completing 23 of his 29 passes for 366 yards and four touchdowns.

Collins earned himself a Passer Score of 140.16 with his performance.

The most recent "perfect" game in NFL history was also Tom Brady's second such game.

In an easy 45-24 win over the Detroit Lions, Brady completed 21 of his 27 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns.

That gave him a Passer Score of 141.24.

Kurt Warner's second game with a 158.3 passer rating came back in 2000 when he was leading the St. Louis Rams' Greatest Show on Turf.

Against the San Diego Chargers, Warner led a 57-31 win. He completed 24 of his 30 passes for 390 yards and four scores. He is one of only two players in NFL history to throw at least 30 passes and still achieve "perfection."

Warner earned himself a Passer Score of 141.75.

The second of Peyton Manning's four "perfect" games came against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 35-13 win.

Manning completed 18 of his 23 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns.

It gave him a Passer Score of 141.87.

Dave Krieg's second "perfect" game came in 1994 when his Detroit Lions beat the Buffalo Bills 35-21.

In the win, Krieg completed 20 of his 25 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns.

Krieg earned himself a Passer Score of 142.09.

Ken O'Brien is the only quarterback in NFL history to post a 158.3 passer rating while throwing for over 400 yards in a game.

He led the New York Jets to a 38-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks by completing 26 of his 32 passes for 431 yards and four touchdowns. In doing so, he became one of only two quarterbacks to throw over 30 passes in his "perfect" game.

Because of his relative inefficiency, O'Brien posted a Passer Score of 143.46.

In 1995, the Cincinnati Bengals were led to a 27-9 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers by Jeff Blake.

The quarterback completed 18 of his 22 passes for 275 yards and three scores.

It all added up to a 143.85 Passer Score for Blake.

The third "perfect" game of the 2000 season was thrown by Doug Flutie.

Flutie led the Buffalo Bills to a 42-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks by completing 20 of his 25 passes for 366 yards and three scores.

Besides the win, he earned himself a Passer Score of 145.35.

Thanks to a great performance from Kurt Warner, the Arizona Cardinals beat the Miami Dolphins 31-10. It was Warner's third "perfect" game.

He completed 19 of his 24 passes for 361 yards and three scores.

The game was good enough to give Warner a Passer Score of 147.87.

Y.A. Tittle led the New York Giants to a 42-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

In earning his 158.3 passer rating, Tittle completed 16 of his 20 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns.

He receives a Passer Score of 148.67 for his efforts.

Nope, the title doesn't contain a typo. Roethlisberger has the same ranking as Y.A. Tittle because they have the exact same numbers.

In his second "perfect" game of the 2007 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback led his team to a 41-24 win over the St. Louis Rams.

In earning his 158.3 passer rating, Roethlisberger completed 16 of his 20 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns.

He receives a Passer Score of 148.67 for his efforts.

In the first "perfect" game of his stellar career, Peyton Manning led the Colts to a close win over the New England Patriots, 30-23.

Manning hit on 16 of his 20 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns.

He received a Passer Score of 150.57.

Bobby Hebert led the Atlanta Falcons in their game against the New Orleans Saints. However, they lost 34-31, making Hebert the first quarterback to lose with a 158.3 passer rating while starting the game.

He completed 14 of his 18 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns.

Despite the loss, he earned a Passer Score of 153.35.

Ken Anderson led the Cincinnati Bengals to a 24-14 win over the Baltimore Colts.

He completed 17 of his 21 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns.

It was enough to earn Anderson a Passer Score of 153.65.

Vince Evans posted a "perfect" passer rating in a 61-7 blowout win over the Green Bay Packers.

The Chicago Bears quarterback completed 18 of his 22 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns.

His Passer score was 153.98.

In 1967, Joe Namath led the New York Jets to a 33-14 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Namath completed 13 of his 15 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

It was good enough to give Broadway Joe a 156.43 Passer Score.

Kurt Warner had his first of three "perfect" games in 1999 when he led the St. Louis Rams to a 38-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The former grocery bagger completed 17 of his 21 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns.

He had his best Passer Score of his career: 157.02.

Craig Morton's first "perfect" game came in 1969 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Honestly, the game wasn't even close as Morton's Cowboys blew out the Eagles 38-7.

Morton completed 14 of 18 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns.

It was good enough for him to earn a Passer Score of 158.79 and break into the top 40 statistical games of all time by a quarterback.

This was an especially significant game because it took place in the Divisional round of the AFC playoffs.

Terry Bradshaw led the Pittsburgh Steelers past the Baltimore Colts after he put up a 26-point beatdown.

The quarterback completed 14 of his 18 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

His great performance gave him a Passer Score of 159.69.

The first of four "perfect" games in 2007 was thrown by Donovan McNabb. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback led his team to a decisive 56-21 win over the Detroit Lions.

McNabb completed 21 of his 26 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns.

The dual-threat quarterback earned himself a Passer Score of 160.45.

Even though the only picture I could find of Bob Lee was of him in a Minnesota Vikings jersey, his "perfect" game came for the Atlanta Falcons.

On October 14, 1973, Lee led the Falcons to a 46-6 win over the Chicago Bears. He completed 11 of his 13 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns.

Interestingly, Lee had a passer rating of 0.0 in a game later that year.

This game gave him a Passer Score of 164.11 though.

A 38-0 win over the Indianapolis Colts gave Drew Bledsoe his "perfect" game.

The rookie quarterback for the New England Patriots completed 9 of his 11 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

Even though he didn't throw too many times, he was incredibly efficient and posted a Passer Score of 164.69.

The San Francisco 49ers absolutely trounced the Atlanta Falcons, putting up 45 points while only allowing three.

Joe Montana's incredible performance was the reason for the offense, but probably not the defense. Montana completed 16 of his 19 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns.

He earned himself a Passer Score of 166.48.

Way back in 1949, Sammy Baugh led the Washington Redskins to a 38-14 win over the New York Bulldogs.

In doing so, he became just the second quarterback ever to post a passer rating of 158.3.

Baugh completed 16 of his 20 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns. It gave him a Passer Score of 166.71.

The New England Patriots beat the New York Jets 55-21 in 1978 when Steve Grogan threw his "perfect" game.

Grogan completed 15 of his 19 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns.

The performance earned him a Passer Score of 174.45.

On Monday Night Football, Bob Griese led the Miami Dolphins to a huge 23-3 win over the New England Patriots.

Of his 13 pass attempts, only one fell incomplete the entire night. The 12 completions went for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

While he may not have put up as many yards or touchdowns as other players, the incredible efficiency boosted him up the rankings.

Griese earned a Passer Score of 175.19.

The third straight entry on this list from the 1978 season, the 29th best statistical game by a quarterback came when Brian Sipe and the Cleveland Browns beat the Buffalo Bills 41-20.

Sipe completed 12 of his 15 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns.

The performance was good enough to merit a Passer Score of 176.31.

Jumping ahead a few years, we get to Rich Gannon's stellar performance.

While playing for the Minnesota Vikings, he quarterbacked the team to a 31-14 win over the Detroit Lions.

Gannon didn't need to do much in this game, but he came through when he was asked to. The quarterback completed 8 of his 10 passes (the minimum for eligibility).

The throws resulted in 146 yards and two touchdowns, giving Gannon a Passer Score of 177.03.

The first "perfect" game in professional football history belonged to the Chicago Cardinals' Ray Mallouf in 1949.

The Cardinals were playing the Giants in New York during the middle of October when Mallouf led his team to a 63-35 win.

Mallouf completed 14 of his 18 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns.

It was enough to earn him a Passer Score of 178.22.

In a close game against the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons prevailed with Scott Hunter at the helm, winning 23-20.

The quarterback played earlier in his career for the Green Bay Packers, but his finest game came as a Falcon.

Hunter completed 10 of his 11 passes, gaining 138 yards and throwing two touchdown passes.

His Passer Score for the game was 180.26.

The third "perfect" game of Peyton Manning's storied career came in 2003 against the New Orleans Saints.

His team absolutely crushed the Saints, winning 55-21. Manning completed 20 of his 25 passes for 314 yards and six touchdowns.

Manning got what he deserved with a Passer Score of 181.89.

Peyton Manning's fourth appearance on this list is also his most recent "perfect" game. I hesitate to say it's his last one because something tells me that Manning will have at least one more 158.3 in his career.

This one came in the AFC Wild Card game in 2004 against the Denver Broncos, which the Colts won decisively 41-10.

Manning completed 22 of his 26 passes for 377 yards and five touchdowns.

It all added up to a career best Passer Score of 182.58.

Chad Pennington may have beaten Peyton Manning on this list, but even "perfection" from the New York Jets quarterback couldn't beat Manning's Colts.

In this 2003 game, the Jets fell to the Colts 38-31, making Pennington the second quarterback ever to start and post a 158.3 passer rating in a loss.

Pennington completed 11 of his 14 passes, throwing for 219 yards and three touchdowns.

It gave him a Passer Score of 185.56.

In 1967, Don Meredith led the Dallas Cowboys to the Divisional round of the playoffs where they ran into the Cleveland Browns. The Browns didn't pose much of a challenge, falling 52-14.

In the game, Meredith posted the 23rd best statistical game by a quarterback in history.

The Cowboys quarterback completed 10 of his 12 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

He earned himself a Passer Score of 187.01.

In 2009, Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints past the New England Patriots 38-17 on Monday Night Football.

The eventual Super Bowl winner completed 18 of 23 passes for 371 yards and five touchdowns.

He received a Passer Score of 188.83 as a reward.

Here comes the top 20.

In 1975, Jim Hart led the St. Louis Cardinals to a 37-6 win over the New York Jets.

Hart, who played for the Cardinals his entire career, completed 11 of his 13 passes for 242 yards and two scores.

The quarterback earned himself a Passer Score of 189.60.

When the Washington Redskins traveled to St. Louis in 1966 to take on the Cardinals, the visiting team only escaped with a win because of the outstanding performance by their quarterback.

It was Sonny Jurgensen's masterpiece. The quarterback completed 12 of his 14 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns.

Contributing 21 of the team's 24 points gave Jurgensen a Passer Score of 190.42.

Early in the 1972 season, the Oakland Raiders took on the Pittsburgh Steelers and lost 34-28.

The game was significant because Daryle Lamonica came on in relief at the quarterback position and threw just enough passes to qualify for a passer rating. That number just happened to be "perfect."

Lamonica completed eight of his 10 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns.

His Passer Score was 191.16.

Early in the 1976, Dan Fouts led the San Diego Chargers to a decisive 43-24 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Fouts completed 15 of his 18 passes for 259 yards and four touchdowns. He absolutely deserves his top 20 spot.

The quarterback's Passer Score wound up being 191.36.

When the New York Giants crushed the Oakland Raiders 44-7 on Oct. 11, 2009, history was made.

Eli Manning left the game before halftime, but not before he'd thrown just enough passes to make himself eligible for this list.

Manning completed eight of his 10 attempts for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

In the process, he earned a Passer Score of 191.70.

In 1993, Mike Buck started out watching his New Orleans Saints take on the Pittsburgh Steelers while sitting on the bench.

He would enter the game though and complete 10 of his 11 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.

Despite not starting the game, Buck still posted a "perfect" game.

He earned a Passer Score of 193.11.

Even though this picture shows Dick Shiner in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform, he threw his "perfect" game in an Atlanta Falcons jersey.

In 1973, the quarterback led the Falcons as they absolutely trounced the New Orleans Saints 62-7.

Shiner was a huge part of it, completing 13 of 15 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns.

Interestingly, he would have an unofficial (because he only had nine pass attempts) 0.0 passer rating in the very next game.

But in his moment in the spotlight, Shiner had a Passer Score of 193.16.

Back in 1974, James Harris led the Los Angeles Rams to a 37-14 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

He completed 12 of his 15 passes and they went for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

When it was all tallied up, Harris had achieved a Passer Score of 197.68.

Tom Brady's first "perfect" game came back in 2007 when he led his New England Patriots to a 49-28 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Brady completed 21 of his 25 passes. They went for 354 yards and six touchdowns.

The talented quarterback received a Passer Score of 198.52.

Our first Passer Score over 200 belongs to Steve Bartkowski.

In 1984, Bartkowski led the Atlanta Falcons to a 41-10 victory over the Houston Oilers.

The quarterback completed 11 of his 13 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns.

He earned a Passer Score of 200.63 for his efforts.

The first "perfect" game of Big Ben's career came on Sept. 11, 2005. The Pittsburgh Steelers were taking on the Tennessee Titans.

Behind Roethlisberger's 158.3 passer rating, the Steelers won 34-7 and secured Big Ben a spot in the top 10 of this list.

Roethlisberger completed nine of his 11 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns.

He earned himself a Passer Score of 201.74.

The year 1990 let us witness Ken O'Brien's second game with a passer rating of 158.3.

This time, O'Brien led the New York Jets to a 42-7 win over the New England Patriots.

He completed 11 of his 12 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

O'Brien received a Passer Score of 202.65 for his work.

Johnny Unitas got his perfect game in 1967 when the Baltimore Colts beat the Atlanta Falcons 49-7. And by beat, I really mean trounced.

Unitas completed 17 of his 20 passes for 340 yards and four touchdowns.

His incredible performance led to a Passer Score for the game of 208.14.

Ben Roethlisberger's second of three "perfect" games happened to be his best. It was also his first of two in the 2007 season, during which he would become the only quarterback to ever achieve "perfection" twice in the same year.

On Monday Night Football, Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers destroyed their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, by a score of 38-7.

The quarterback completed 13 of his 16 passes for 209 yards and a staggering five touchdowns.

Roethlisberger's Passer Score was 216.01, a pretty significant jump up from Johnny Unitas' 208.14.

In the AFC Wild Card game, Dave Krieg and the Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos 31-7.

In the process, Krieg was "perfect," completing 12 of his 13 pass attempts for 200 yards and three touchdowns.

He earned a Passer Score of 217.98 for his performance.

In between his years with the Minnesota Vikings, Fran Tarkenton led the New York Giants to a 35-17 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1970, posting a 158.3 passer rating in the process.

To lead off the top 5, Tarkenton completed 15 of his 18 passes and they went for 280 yards and five touchdowns.

The incredible performance earned him a Passer Score of 219.85.

Way back in 1963, Len Dawson and Kansas City Chiefs stomped the Denver Broncos 59-7. In the process, Dawson had one of the greatest quarterback performances of all time.

Dawson completed 12 of his 15 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns. It's hard to do better than that. In fact, only four people have.

The quarterback received a Passer Score of 224.99 for his performance.

The first of two quarterbacks to throw a "perfect" game for the San Francisco 49ers in 1989, Steve Young led his team to a 37-20 win over the New England Patriots.

In doing so, Young completed 11 of his 12 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns.

He earned a Passer Score of 225.91.

The second best statistical game of all time by a quarterback belongs to Craig Morton.

His second "perfect" game came against the San Diego Chargers, but this time he was playing for the Denver Broncos.

Morton completed 17 of his 18 passes for 308 yards and four touchdowns. It's tough to do much better than that level of "perfection."

For his efforts, Morton received a Passer Score of 228.20.

Frank Ryan's 1964 performance for the Cleveland Browns in a 52-20 blowout win over the New York Giants is far and away the best statistical performance by a quarterback to date.

Ryan completed 12 of his 13 passes and they went for 202 yards and five touchdowns.

He received the best Passer Score of all time at 280.16.

Now, just to justify the massive jump between No. 2 and No. 1, take a look at these numbers.

Craig Morton's completion percentage was 94.4 percent and Ryan's was "just" 92.3 percent, but those are very slight differences.

He threw for 15.5 yards per attempt compared to Morton's 17.1 yards per attempt, but that's not a huge difference either because of the low number of throws.

The real difference came in touchdowns per attempt. Ryan's number was .38 while Morton's was only .22. While that may not seem like to big a difference, it is because touchdowns are so valuable.

Passer Score is broken down into four different components which are all added together once they're calculated. The components are calculations based on completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns per attempt and interceptions per attempt.

While they were obviously tied in the last component, Morton came out ahead in the first two by almost 13. However, Ryan won the touchdowns per attempt component by a staggering 64.75.

For that reason, Frank Ryan wins the prize. He can lay claim to the best statistical performance by a quarterback in the history of professional football.