Peyton Manning tops QBR Rankings List

Top two individual seasons belong to Indianapolis QB

Updated: December 19, 2011, 7:38 AM ET
ESPN Stats & Information

The Total Quarterback Rating is a statistical measure that incorporates the contexts and details of throws and what they mean for wins. It's built from the team level down to the quarterback, where we understand first what each play means to the team, then give credit to the quarterback for what happened on a play based on what he contributed.

Total QBR Basics

A quick primer on the fundamentals of Total Quarterback Rating:

Scoring: 0-100, from low to high. An average QB would be at 50.
Win Probability: All QB plays are scored based on how much they contribute to a win. By determining expected point totals for almost any situation, Total QBR is able to apply points to a quarterback based on every type of play he would be involved in.
Dividing Credit: Total QBR factors in such things as overthrows, underthrows, yards after the catch and more to accurately determine how much a QB contributes to each play.
Clutch Index: How critical a certain play is based on when it happens in a game is factored into the score.

At the team level, identifying what wins games is not revolutionary: scoring points and not allowing points. In the 1980s, "The Hidden Game of Football" did some pioneering work on that topic and how yardage relates to points.

We went back and updated what that book did … then we went further. At the individual level, more detailed information about what quarterbacks do is really necessary. Brian Burke at AdvancedNFLStats.com has done good work in advancing that effort, and FootballOutsiders.com has done some of this by charting data. And over the past three years ESPN has charted football games in immense detail.

By putting all these ideas together and incorporating division of credit, we have built a metric of quarterback value, the Total Quarterback Rating, Total QBR or QBR for short.

FULL EXPLANATION

QBR Leaders: 2008-10

Over the three years that were charted to create the QBR, one name rises to the top, with Peyton Manning recording the best seasons.

Rank Season QB Team Action Plays QBR
1 2009 Peyton Manning IND 660 82.3
2 2008 Peyton Manning IND 649 79.7
3 2009 Drew Brees NO 613 77.2
4 2010 Tom Brady NE 607 76.0
5 2008 Matt Ryan ATL 570 72.6
6 2008 Chad Pennington MIA 577 72.3
7 2009 Philip Rivers SD 602 71.8
8 2008 Jay Cutler DEN 741 71.3
9 2009 Matt Schaub HOU 694 71.0
10 2009 Aaron Rodgers GB 717 69.7
11 2010 Peyton Manning IND 779 69.5
12 2009 Vince Young TEN 347 69.2
13 2008 Matt Schaub HOU 474 69.2
14 2008 Philip Rivers SD 590 69.1
15 2010 Matt Ryan ATL 709 68.6
16 2010 Aaron Rodgers GB 627 67.9
17 2009 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 652 67.3
18 2010 Michael Vick PHI 547 66.6
19 2008 Kurt Warner ARI 702 66.5
20 2010 Drew Brees NO 760 65.9
21 2009 Eli Manning NYG 613 65.9
22 2008 Aaron Rodgers GB 691 64.5
23 2009 Kurt Warner ARI 619 64.5
24 2009 Tony Romo DAL 696 64.4
25 2010 Eli Manning NYG 654 64.3
26 2008 Jake Delhomme CAR 513 64.0
27 2010 Josh Freeman TB 626 63.5
28 2010 Philip Rivers SD 667 63.2
29 2009 Tom Brady NE 677 63.2
30 2008 Drew Brees NO 729 63.1
31 2009 Brett Favre MIN 643 63.1
32 2008 Eli Manning NYG 596 61.3
33 2008 Matt Cassel NE 673 61.0
34 2008 Jeff Garcia TB 462 60.7
35 2010 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 500 59.8
36 2010 Tony Romo DAL 251 58.1
37 2010 Joe Flacco BAL 647 58.1
38 2010 Matt Schaub HOU 678 57.8
39 2009 Matt Ryan ATL 556 57.7
40 2009 Donovan McNabb PHI 569 57.3
41 2010 David Garrard JAC 510 57.3
42 2008 Shaun Hill SF 366 57.0
43 2008 Kerry Collins TEN 492 56.9
44 2010 Kerry Collins TEN 342 56.0
45 2008 Jason Campbell WAS 654 54.8
46 2008 Seneca Wallace SEA 299 53.5
47 2009 Carson Palmer CIN 615 53.2
48 2009 Kyle Orton DEN 650 52.9
49 2009 Joe Flacco BAL 632 52.6
50 2008 Donovan McNabb PHI 671 51.9
51 2010 Matt Cassel KC 566 51.2
52 2009 Chad Henne MIA 538 51.1
53 2008 Dan Orlovsky DET 301 51.1
54 2009 Jay Cutler CHI 693 51.0
55 2008 Tyler Thigpen KC 546 50.8
56 2008 David Garrard JAC 711 50.8
57 2009 David Garrard JAC 683 50.4
58 2008 Tony Romo DAL 551 50.1
59 2008 Trent Edwards BUF 480 49.7
60 2009 Jason Campbell WAS 647 49.4
61 2010 Ryan Fitzpatrick BUF 551 48.7
62 2010 Mark Sanchez NYJ 619 47.4
63 2010 Carson Palmer CIN 720 46.7
64 2010 Colt McCoy CLE 290 46.6
65 2010 Kyle Orton DEN 612 46.6
66 2008 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 608 46.4
67 2010 Jon Kitna DAL 409 46.1
68 2008 Kyle Orton CHI 560 45.7
69 2010 Shaun Hill DET 499 44.8
70 2010 Jason Campbell OAK 479 43.8
71 2010 Jay Cutler CHI 596 42.6
72 2010 Matt Hasselbeck SEA 547 42.4
73 2009 Alex Smith SF 463 42.2
74 2008 Gus Frerotte MIN 394 42.1
75 2008 Brett Favre NYJ 639 41.7
76 2008 Joe Flacco BAL 586 41.6
77 2010 Chad Henne MIA 604 41.4
78 2010 Donovan McNabb WAS 596 41.0
79 2010 Sam Bradford STL 732 41.0
80 2010 Alex Smith SF 426 40.0
81 2008 Ryan Fitzpatrick CIN 507 38.7
82 2010 Derek Anderson ARI 387 35.9
83 2008 JaMarcus Russell OAK 472 34.5
84 2009 Brady Quinn CLE 321 33.2
85 2008 Marc Bulger STL 556 33.0
86 2009 Matthew Stafford DET 460 32.9
87 2009 Marc Bulger STL 309 31.9
88 2009 Kerry Collins TEN 256 31.5
89 2009 Mark Sanchez NYJ 473 30.9
90 2008 Matt Hasselbeck SEA 259 30.9
91 2009 Jake Delhomme CAR 396 30.5
92 2009 Matt Cassel KC 658 30.2
93 2009 Ryan Fitzpatrick BUF 310 29.9
94 2008 Derek Anderson CLE 366 29.6
95 2009 Matt Hasselbeck SEA 592 26.7
96 2010 Brett Favre MIN 459 25.8
97 2009 Josh Freeman TB 373 25.8
98 2009 Trent Edwards BUF 256 25.7
99 2008 J.T. O'Sullivan SF 329 20.3
100 2010 Jimmy Clausen CAR 397 11.7
101 2009 JaMarcus Russell OAK 341 10.5

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