Top 20 Passers

History Published on : 2/21/2006

Fourteen of the NFL’s top 20 all-time leaders based on passer rating are active quarterbacks. The list includes a trio of 5th-year passers, who in 2005, reached the minimum number of 1,500 career attempts to qualify for the Hall’s Top 20 list and now rank among the game’s most proficient passers. The San Diego Chargers’ Drew Brees (No. 14) reached the Top 20 in Week 7 followed four weeks later by Marc Bulger (No. 6) of the St. Louis Rams. Jake Delhomme (No. 17) of the Carolina Panthers made the list during the final week of the 2005 regular season.

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Matt Hasselbeck

Peyton Manning, the third ranked passer of all-time, won his second straight passing title as he completed 305 of 453 passes for 3,747 yards and threw 28 TDs to finish with a 104.1 passer rating in 2005. It also marked the second consecutive season in which he eclipsed a 100 passer rating. Matt Hasselbeck, who led the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl berth, topped the NFC in passing in 2005. By doing so, he climbed nine spots on the all-time chart, from 18th to 9th place and now has a career rating of 86.6.

The other quarterbacks in the Top 20 who took snaps during the 2005 NFL season include: Kurt Warner (No. 2), Daunte Culpepper (No. 5), Tom Brady (No. 7), Trent Green (No. 8), Brett Favre (No. 12), Jeff Garcia (No. 13), Brian Griese (No. 15), Brad Johnson (No. 19), and Donovan McNabb (No. 20).

Minimum 1500 Attempts
(At the Start of the 2006 NFL Season)
 
Rank   Player League
Yrs.
Att.
Comp.
Yards
TD
Int.
Rating
1 (1) Steve Young * NFL
15
4,149
2,667
33,124
232
107
96.8
2 (2) KURT WARNER NFL
8
2,340
1,537
19,214
119
78
94.1
3 (4) PEYTON MANNING NFL
8
4,333
2,769
33,189
244
130
93.5
4 (5) Joe Montana * NFL
15
5,391
3,409
40,551
273
139
92.3
5 (3) DAUNTE CULPEPPER NFL
7
2,607
1,678
20,162
135
86
91.5
6 (–) MARC BULGER NFL
5
1,518
987
11,932
71
51
90.6
7 (7) TOM BRADY NFL
6
2,548
1,577
18,035
123
66
88.5
8 (6) TRENT GREEN NFL
8
3,329
2,022
25,621
150
92
88.3
9 (18) MATT HASSELBECK NFL
7
2,205
1,342
15,925
96
57
86.64
10 (10) Otto Graham * AAFC-NFL
10
2,626
1,464
23,584
174
135
86.63
11 (11) Dan Marino * NFL
17
8,358
4,967
61,361
420
252
86.4
12 (8) BRETT FAVRE NFL
15
7,610
4,678
53,615
396
255
86.0
13 (9) JEFF GARCIA NFL
7
2,785
1,695
19,076
126
71
85.8
14 (–) DREW BREES NFL
5
1,809
1,125
12,348
80
53
84.9
15 (12) BRIAN GRIESE NFL
8
2,318
1,463
16,344
103
78
84.8
16 (13) Rich Gannon NFL
16
4,206
2,533
28,743
180
104
84.7
17 (–) JAKE DELHOMME NFL
5
1,503
888
11,160
75
52
84.5
18 (14) Jim Kelly * NFL
11
4,779
2,874
35,467
237
175
84.39
19 (15) BRAD JOHNSON NFL
14
3,798
2,350
25,798
155
102
84.36
20 (16) DONOVAN McNABB NFL
7
2,943
1,718
19,433
134
66
84.1
 
2005 Notes
DREW BREES entered the Top 20 in Week 7; MARC BULGER in Week 11, and JAKE DELHOMME in Week 17. STEVE McNAIR (82.4), Roger Staubach * (83.4), and MARK BRUNELL (84.07) were displaced from the Top 20. Note: Donovan McNabb edges Brunell out of the Top 20 with an 84.08 rating.
Next in Line:
Players active in 2005 who rank the closest to a Top 20 ranking: BRUNELL (84.07) and STEVE McNAIR (83.3).
 
ACTIVE IN 2005
* Pro Football Hall of Fame member
( ) - indicates rank at the start of the 2005 season
 
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