The National Football League has seen a passer rating of zero posted 148 times in either regular season or postseason play.[1]
To achieve a passer rating of zero in a game, a player must have no touchdowns, complete no more than 30% of his pass attempts, average less than three yards per attempt, throw an interception on at least 9.5% of attempts, and attempt at least ten passes.
Terry Bradshaw posted a zero rating on a record three occasions, while eight other players have two games of zero; Gary Keithley is the only player ever to post zero ratings in two straight weeks (1973).
There have been three occasions where a starting quarterback and his mid-game replacement have both earned a zero rating in the same game: starter Joe Namath and replacement Richard Todd with the New York Jets (1976), starter Vince Evans and replacement Bob Avellini with the Chicago Bears (1981), and starter Terry Bradshaw and replacement Cliff Stoudt with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1982).
On one occasion, players on opposing teams both posted a zero rating: Gary Keithley and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated Bob Lee and the Atlanta Falcons (1973). No starting quarterback with a passer rating of zero has won the game since Norm Snead in 1976.
Thirteen players who had a zero passer rating also earned a perfect (158.3) passer rating during their careers: Otto Graham, Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Terry Bradshaw, Len Dawson, Bob Griese, James Harris, Bob Lee, Scott Hunter, Dan Fouts, Craig Morton, Vince Evans, Rich Gannon, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, and Geno Smith.[2]
The Buffalo Bills have held opposing players to a zero passer rating more than any other franchise, having accomplished the feat eight times, .
| Quarterback | Date | Team | Opponent | Result | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [3] | Cleveland Browns | Detroit Lions | L 17–16 | 2 | 15 | 20 | 2 | NFL Championship Game. | |
| 2 | [4] | St. Louis Cardinals | New York Giants | L 35–14 | 3 | 13 | 25 | 2 | ||
| 3 | [5] | San Francisco 49ers | Chicago Bears | L 31–0 | 3 | 10 | 23 | 2 | ||
| 4 | [6] | Buffalo Bills | Houston Oilers | L 28–23 | 4 | 17 | 44 | 3 | ||
| 5 | [7] | San Diego Chargers | Buffalo Bills | L 35–10 | 2 | 12 | 17 | 2 | ||
| 6 | [8] | Oakland Raiders | Denver Broncos | L 23–6 | 2 | 10 | 22 | 1 | ||
| 7 | Oakland Raiders | Buffalo Bills | L 10–6 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 2 | Second career 0.0 game, second 0.0 game in the same season. | ||
| 8 | [9] | Los Angeles Rams | Chicago Bears | L 38–17 | 4 | 15 | 42 | 4 | ||
| 9 | [10] | New York Giants | Dallas Cowboys | L 31–2 | 6 | 21 | 63 | 2 | ||
| 10 | [11] | Oakland Raiders | San Diego Chargers | L 17–6 | 4 | 14 | 31 | 2 | ||
| 11 | [12] | Buffalo Bills | Houston Oilers | W 29–18 | 2 | 10 | 25 | 1 | First to have a 0.0 rating but still win the game. | |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins | New York Jets | L 19–14 | 2 | 15 | 25 | 2 | Second career 0.0 game. | ||
| 13 | [13] | Minnesota Vikings | Green Bay Packers | W 10–7 | 2 | 11 | 25 | 2 | ||
| 14 | [14] | Boston Patriots | Buffalo Bills | L 44–16 | 5 | 20 | 57 | 3 | ||
| 15 | [15] | Miami Dolphins | Kansas City Chiefs | L 48–3 | 2 | 17 | 24 | 2 | ||
| 16 | [16] | Baltimore Colts | Cleveland Browns | L 30–20 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 3 | ||
| 17 | [17] | Chicago Bears | Minnesota Vikings | L 31–0 | 3 | 12 | 25 | 2 | ||
| 18 | [18] | Miami Dolphins | Houston Oilers | L 32–7 | 7 | 26 | 43 | 5 | ||
| 19 | [19] | New Orleans Saints | Minnesota Vikings | L 26–0 | 6 | 20 | 16 | 2 | ||
| 20 | [20] | Cleveland Browns | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 15–7 | 1 | 16 | 44 | 2 | Only career NFL start, last career NFL game played (won game). Worst completion percentage (6.3%) on this list. | |
| 21 | [21] | Boston Patriots | Kansas City Chiefs | L 23–10 | 3 | 12 | 30 | 4 | ||
| 22 | [22] | Philadelphia Eagles | Green Bay Packers | L 30–17 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 3 | ||
| 23 | [23] | Pittsburgh Steelers | Kansas City Chiefs | L 31–14 | 3 | 12 | 35 | 2 | ||
| 24 | [24] | Kansas City Chiefs | St. Louis Cardinals | T 6–6 | 4 | 14 | 38 | 2 | ||
| 25 | [25] | Pittsburgh Steelers | Atlanta Falcons | L 27–16 | 3 | 12 | 30 | 2 | ||
| 26 | [26] | Chicago Bears | Los Angeles Rams | L 17–3 | 5 | 23 | 60 | 3 | ||
| 27 | [27] | Chicago Bears | Detroit Lions | L 28–3 | 6 | 26 | 68 | 4 | ||
| 28 | [28] | San Diego Chargers | Cincinnati Bengals | L 31–0 | 5 | 18 | 49 | 4 | Second career 0.0 game. | |
| 29 | [29] | Minnesota Vikings | Detroit Lions | W 29–10 | 4 | 15 | 21 | 2 | ||
| 30 | [30] | Detroit Lions | Minnesota Vikings | L 34–10 | 3 | 15 | 39 | 3 | ||
| 31 | [31] | Houston Oilers | Oakland Raiders | L 34–0 | 3 | 21 | 31 | 4 | ||
| 32 | [32] | Green Bay Packers | Detroit Lions | L 34–0 | 1 | 10 | −4 | 1 | ||
| 33 | [33] | New York Giants | Oakland Raiders | L 42–0 | 2 | 12 | 15 | 2 | ||
| 34 | [34] | Atlanta Falcons | St. Louis Cardinals | L 32–10 | 3 | 16 | 27 | 2 | Had perfect 158.3 game earlier in season; both starting QBs (Keithley) had a 0.0 passer rating in the game. | |
| 35 | St. Louis Cardinals | Atlanta Falcons | W 32–10 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 1 | First career start; both starting QBs (Lee) had a 0.0 passer rating in the game. | ||
| 36 | [35] | St. Louis Cardinals | Dallas Cowboys | L 30–3 | 6 | 20 | 30 | 2 | Second career 0.0 game, second career start, only QB with 0.0 two weeks in a row. | |
| 37 | [36] | New York Jets | Buffalo Bills | L 16–12 | 2 | 18 | 33 | 3 | ||
| 38 | [37] | New Orleans Saints | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 28–7 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 3 | Part of the only two father–son combinations on this list. | |
| 39 | [38] | Los Angeles Rams | Dallas Cowboys | L 18–7 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 40 | [39] | San Diego Chargers | Oakland Raiders | L 6–0 | 3 | 13 | 29 | 2 | ||
| 41 | [40] | Atlanta Falcons | Minnesota Vikings | L 38–0 | 5 | 26 | 43 | 5 | ||
| 42 | [41] | Pittsburgh Steelers | Los Angeles Rams | L 10–3 | 3 | 10 | 28 | 1 | Second career 0.0 game. | |
| 43 | [42] | Green Bay Packers | Cincinnati Bengals | L 28–7 | 5 | 20 | 45 | 2 | ||
| 44 | [43] | Los Angeles Rams | New Orleans Saints | W 16–10 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 2 | ||
| 45 | [44] | New York Giants | Washington Redskins | W 12–9 | 3 | 14 | 26 | 2 | Second career 0.0 game; last starting QB to win game despite lowest passer rating. | |
| 46 | [45] | Buffalo Bills | San Diego Chargers | L 34–13 | 8 | 30 | 83 | 3 | Most attempts and yards by a player posting a 0.0 rating.[46] | |
| 47 | [47] | New York Jets | Cincinnati Bengals | L 42–3 | 4 | 15 | 20 | 4 | Second career 0.0 game, first time that a starter and replacement (Todd) both had a 0.0 rating in same game. | |
| 48 | [48] | New York Jets | Cincinnati Bengals | L 42–3 | 3 | 13 | 23 | 2 | First time that a starter (Namath) and replacement both had a 0.0 passer rating in the same game. | |
| 49 | [49] | San Francisco 49ers | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 27–0 | 3 | 13 | 30 | 2 | ||
| 50 | [50] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Green Bay Packers | L 13–0 | 3 | 13 | 18 | 2 | Did not start. | |
| 51 | [51] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Chicago Bears | L 10–0 | 4 | 15 | 36 | 2 | Second career 0.0 game and second in the season; last game played in NFL; only post-merger QB to post a 0.0 season rating with 90+ attempts. | |
| 52 | [52] | Denver Broncos | Dallas Cowboys | L 27–10 | 4 | 15 | 39 | 4 | Super Bowl XII, removed from the game in the third quarter. | |
| 53 | [53] | Buffalo Bills | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 28–17 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 1 | ||
| 54 | [54] | Houston Oilers | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 38–7 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 3 | Second career 0.0 game. | |
| 55 | [55] | Kansas City Chiefs | Cleveland Browns | L 27–24 | 2 | 10 | 26 | 1 | ||
| 56 | [56] | Chicago Bears | Detroit Lions | L 23–7 | 4 | 19 | 21 | 2 | Second time that a starter and replacement (Avellini) both had a 0.0 passer rating in the same game. | |
| 57 | [57] | Chicago Bears | Detroit Lions | L 23–7 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 1 | Second time that a starter (Evans) and replacement both had a 0.0 passer rating in the same game. | |
| 58 | [58] | Pittsburgh Steelers | Buffalo Bills | L 13–0 | 2 | 13 | 3 | 2 | Third career 0.0 game, third time that a starter and replacement (Stoudt) both had a 0.0 passer rating in the same game. | |
| 59 | [59] | Pittsburgh Steelers | Buffalo Bills | L 13–0 | 2 | 10 | 29 | 1 | Third time that a starter (Bradshaw) and replacement both had a 0.0 passer rating in the same game. | |
| 60 | [60] | Houston Oilers | Buffalo Bills | L 20–0 | 3 | 14 | 22 | 3 | ||
| 61 | [61] | Dallas Cowboys | Chicago Bears | L 44–0 | 6 | 22 | 60 | 3 | Did not start. | |
| 62 | [62] | Houston Oilers | Cleveland Browns | L 13–10 | 5 | 23 | 68 | 4 | Second career 0.0 game. | |
| 63 | [63] | New Orleans Saints | Minnesota Vikings | L 44–10 | 2 | 12 | 20 | 2 | NFC Wild Card game, did not start. | |
| 64 | [64] | Chicago Bears | Minnesota Vikings | L 31–7 | 3 | 12 | 28 | 2 | ||
| 65 | [65] | Seattle Seahawks | San Francisco 49ers | L 38–7 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 66 | [66] | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cleveland Browns | L 23–9 | 4 | 14 | 28 | 2 | ||
| 67 | [67] | Houston Oilers | Kansas City Chiefs | W 7–6 | 3 | 14 | 26 | 3 | ||
| 68 | [68] | Minnesota Vikings | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 26–13 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 1 | ||
| 69 | [69] | Philadelphia Eagles | Washington Redskins | L 23–0 | 4 | 14 | 24 | 3 | Did not start. | |
| 70 | [70] | Los Angeles Raiders | Philadelphia Eagles | L 31–10 | 3 | 10 | 25 | 3 | Last career NFL game played. | |
| 71 | [71] | New York Giants | Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–14 | 6 | 23 | 49 | 3 | 0.0 passer rating for the season. | |
| 72 | [72] | New York Giants | Philadelphia Eagles | L 24–0 | 3 | 11 | 31 | 2 | ||
| 73 | [73] | Arizona Cardinals | New York Giants | L 27–13 | 4 | 14 | 40 | 2 | ||
| 74 | [74] | Atlanta Falcons | Carolina Panthers | L 21–12 | 4 | 18 | 24 | 2 | First career start. | |
| 75 | [75] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | New York Jets | L 31–0 | 2 | 15 | 38 | 2 | ||
| 76 | [76] | San Diego Chargers | Kansas City Chiefs | L 23–7 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 77 | [77] | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 15–0 | 4 | 16 | 39 | 2 | ||
| 78 | [78] | Dallas Cowboys | Tennessee Titans | L 31–0 | 5 | 20 | 35 | 2 | ||
| 79 | [79] | Carolina Panthers | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 12–9 | 5 | 18 | 46 | 3 | Only career NFL start. | |
| 80 | [80] | Washington Redskins | Dallas Cowboys | L 27–0 | 6 | 26 | 56 | 4 | ||
| 81 | [81] | Cleveland Browns | Dallas Cowboys | L 19–12 | 8 | 27 | 71 | 3 | ||
| 82 | [82] | New York Giants | Baltimore Ravens | L 37–14 | 4 | 18 | 27 | 2 | Removed from the game in the fourth quarter. Father Archie Manning, and brother Peyton Manning also had 0.0 passer ratings in games. | |
| 83 | [83] | Miami Dolphins | Buffalo Bills | L 21–0 | 5 | 17 | 20 | 2 | ||
| 84 | [84] | Chicago Bears | Green Bay Packers | L 26–7 | 2 | 12 | 33 | 3 | Did not play in the second half. | |
| 85 | [85] | Atlanta Falcons | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 37–3 | 4 | 15 | 34 | 2 | ||
| 86 | [86] | Denver Broncos | Kansas City Chiefs | L 29–13 | 5 | 20 | 35 | 4 | Removed from the game in the third quarter. Father Archie Manning, and brother Eli Manning also had 0.0 passer rating games. Also broke the passing yards record during the game. | |
| 87 | [87] | Buffalo Bills | Baltimore Ravens | L 47–3 | 5 | 18 | 24 | 2 | Removed from the game in the third quarter. Replacement (Josh Allen) would have a perfect 158.3 game in 2023.[88] | |
| 88 | [89] | Cincinnati Bengals | Washington Football Team | L 20–9 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 1 | Did not start game. Replaced starter Joe Burrow in third quarter after Burrow sustained a knee injury. | |
| 89 | [90] | Cincinnati Bengals | Baltimore Ravens | L 38–3 | 6 | 21 | 48 | 2 | ||
| 90 | [91] | November 6, 2022 | Carolina Panthers | Cincinnati Bengals | L 42–21 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 2 | Removed from the game at halftime. |