Final Results

Qualification: minimum 210 pass attempts (14 per scheduled game).

How QER is calculated

QER starts with the Pass Score, then adds a gated bonus for above-average rushing efficiency and production. The bonus is worth up to 15 points and is scaled by passing quality, so running complements passing rather than replacing it. A quarterback is never penalized for not running, and the final rating is capped at 100. All percentiles are calculated among qualified quarterbacks from the same season.

QER = min(100, Pass Score + Rush Bonus)

Pass Score

The Pass Score combines Passing Efficiency (75%) with Production (25%).

Passing Efficiency

  • Success percentage (30% of Passing Efficiency): How often pass plays meet the success criteria for the down and distance.
  • Yards per attempt (25%): Passing yards gained per attempt, rewarding efficient downfield production.
  • Interception avoidance (20%): Rewards a lower percentage of attempts resulting in interceptions.
  • Passing first-down percentage (15%): The percentage of attempts that produce a first down.
  • Completion percentage (10%): The percentage of pass attempts completed.

Production

  • Passing yards (50% of Production): Total passing yardage over the season.
  • Passing touchdowns (30%): Total touchdown passes.
  • Passing first downs (20%): Total first downs produced through the air.

Rush Efficiency

Rushing production is measured per quarterback play, where QB plays = pass attempts + sacks + rushing attempts. This prevents a small number of carries from dominating the rating.

  • Successful rushes per QB play (30% of Rush Score): Estimated successful carries based on rushing attempts and rushing success percentage.
  • Rushing first downs per QB play (25%): How often rushing creates a first down.
  • Rushing yards per QB play (25%): Rushing production relative to the quarterback’s total workload.
  • Rushing touchdowns per QB play (10%): Rushing scoring production relative to total workload.
  • Fumble avoidance per QB play (10%): Rewards quarterbacks who protect the football across their total workload.

Rush Production

Season-long rushing production is measured separately from efficiency:

  • Rushing yards (50% of Rush Production): Total rushing yardage.
  • Rushing first downs (30%): Total first downs gained on the ground.
  • Rushing touchdowns (20%): Total rushing touchdowns.

Rush Bonus

Only Rush Score and Rush Production percentiles above 50 receive credit. Each above-average score is rescaled from 0 to 1. The efficiency portion is worth up to eight points and the production portion up to seven points. Their combined value is multiplied by the Passing Gate (Pass Score / 100).

Rush Bonus = Passing Gate × (8 × Rush Efficiency Index + 7 × Rush Production Index)

This allows an elite passer and runner to earn as many as 15 bonus points, while a weak passer receives only a small portion of the same rushing value. Below-average or nonexistent rushing earns no bonus and never lowers QER.

Rank Player Team G QER Pass Score Pass Efficiency Production Rush Score Rush Production Rush Bonus Cmp Att Cmp% Yds Y/A TD Int Int% 1D 1D% Succ% Rush Att Rush Yds Rush TD Rush 1D Rush Succ% Fumbles
1 Joe Montana SFO 13 90.8 85.9 84.1 91.2 67.3 71.2 4.9 266 398 66.8 3054 7.7 31 13 3.3 158 39.7 52.6 35 141 1 10 51.4 3
2 Bernie Kosar CLE 12 88.3 88.3 90.9 80.8 32.1 29.2 0.0 241 389 62.0 3033 7.8 22 9 2.3 140 36.0 50.4 15 22 1 2 20.0 2
3 Dan Marino MIA 12 79.6 79.6 74.9 93.8 14.6 15.0 0.0 263 444 59.2 3245 7.3 26 13 2.9 158 35.6 50.1 12 -5 1 1 8.3 5
4 Neil Lomax STL 12 79.0 79.0 72.8 97.7 36.0 48.8 0.0 275 463 59.4 3387 7.3 24 12 2.6 170 36.7 45.0 29 107 0 6 27.6 7
5 John Elway DEN 12 77.2 68.1 63.4 82.5 92.7 96.2 9.1 224 410 54.6 3198 7.8 19 12 2.9 144 35.1 43.5 66 304 4 28 51.5 2
6 Phil Simms NYG 9 68.9 68.9 74.2 53.1 32.1 24.6 0.0 163 282 57.8 2230 7.9 17 9 3.2 104 36.9 44.2 14 44 0 2 21.4 4
7 Dave Krieg SEA 12 65.2 62.1 63.1 59.0 63.1 70.8 3.1 178 294 60.5 2131 7.2 23 15 5.1 111 37.8 46.4 36 155 2 7 38.9 11
8 Boomer Esiason CIN 12 64.1 59.7 51.5 84.2 74.0 75.0 4.4 240 440 54.5 3321 7.5 16 19 4.3 152 34.5 44.2 52 241 0 16 53.8 10
9 Marc Wilson RAI 15 62.6 61.9 72.6 29.8 56.9 45.4 0.7 152 266 57.1 2070 7.8 12 8 3.0 94 35.3 45.5 17 91 0 7 41.2 1
10 Bill Kenney KAN 11 61.5 61.5 68.2 41.3 12.5 10.4 0.0 154 273 56.4 2107 7.7 15 9 3.3 95 34.8 47.8 12 -2 0 1 16.7 8
11 Jim McMahon CHI 7 60.1 57.0 70.7 16.0 78.3 56.3 3.1 125 210 59.5 1639 7.8 12 8 3.8 74 35.2 46.1 22 88 2 8 45.5 2
12 Steve DeBerg TAM 12 56.6 56.6 65.4 30.2 4.0 4.2 0.0 159 275 57.8 1891 6.9 14 7 2.5 97 35.3 46.1 8 -8 0 0 0.0 7
13 Jim Kelly BUF 12 55.4 54.9 49.2 71.7 44.4 56.9 0.5 250 419 59.7 2798 6.7 19 11 2.6 131 31.3 43.5 29 133 0 7 31.0 6
14 Bobby Hebert NOR 12 54.4 54.2 56.5 47.1 52.3 43.3 0.2 164 294 55.8 2119 7.2 15 9 3.1 109 37.1 43.3 13 95 0 5 69.2 4
15 Ken O’Brien NYJ 12 54.2 54.2 52.1 60.4 29.6 26.5 0.0 234 393 59.5 2696 6.9 13 8 2.0 132 33.6 42.9 30 61 0 2 30.0 8
16 Wade Wilson MIN 12 46.8 41.2 43.1 35.6 96.7 93.8 5.6 140 264 53.0 2106 8.0 14 13 4.9 84 31.8 42.4 41 263 5 21 58.5 3
17 Danny White DAL 11 46.6 46.6 43.7 55.6 22.5 27.3 0.0 215 362 59.4 2617 7.2 12 17 4.7 132 36.5 42.1 10 14 1 2 20.0 9
18 Randall Cunningham PHI 12 44.3 39.3 28.7 71.3 87.1 97.3 4.9 223 406 54.9 2786 6.9 23 12 3.0 117 28.8 38.7 76 505 3 31 50.0 12
19 Warren Moon HOU 12 43.9 41.2 30.6 73.1 68.7 75.4 2.7 184 368 50.0 2806 7.6 21 18 4.9 121 32.9 39.4 34 112 3 13 58.8 8
20 Dan Fouts SDG 11 43.9 43.9 43.8 44.0 22.3 26.9 0.0 206 364 56.6 2517 6.9 10 15 4.1 130 35.7 43.0 12 0 2 2 16.7 10
21 Chuck Long DET 12 34.8 34.8 30.6 47.5 33.7 33.7 0.0 232 416 55.8 2598 6.2 11 20 4.8 129 31.0 43.6 22 64 0 5 31.8 8
22 Jack Trudeau IND 10 32.6 32.6 42.5 3.1 11.2 14.2 0.0 128 229 55.9 1587 6.9 6 6 2.6 64 27.9 43.0 15 7 0 1 6.7 10
23 Jim Everett RAM 11 27.9 27.4 28.1 25.2 60.2 52.7 0.5 162 302 53.6 2064 6.8 10 13 4.3 103 34.1 42.3 18 83 1 9 61.1 2
24 Jay Schroeder WAS 11 27.0 25.0 26.5 20.6 75.2 75.6 1.9 129 267 48.3 1878 7.0 12 10 3.7 79 29.6 39.1 26 120 3 11 46.2 5
25 Scott Campbell ATL 12 11.8 11.3 10.6 13.7 64.8 62.1 0.5 136 260 52.3 1728 6.6 11 14 5.4 71 27.3 40.0 21 102 2 8 52.4 4
26 Mark Malone PIT 12 8.1 7.5 3.5 19.6 72.3 83.3 0.6 156 336 46.4 1896 5.6 6 19 5.7 98 29.2 35.6 34 162 3 11 47.1 10
27 Randy Wright GNB 9 7.1 7.1 8.8 1.9 45.4 33.8 0.0 132 247 53.4 1507 6.1 6 11 4.5 69 27.9 34.5 13 70 0 4 46.2 3