The self-reports of Ben Roethlisberger’s demise were greatly exaggerated.
Roethlisberger avoided injury after getting smushed on Sunday to put together on Thursday the fourth perfect passer rating of his career. It ties Peyton Manning for the NFL record.
Roethlisberger becomes the third quarterback to generate a perfect passer rating this year, joining Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (at Detroit) and Rams quarterback Jared Goff (vs. Minnesota). There were none in 2016 or 2017.
Three happened in 2015 (Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, and Marcus Mariota). The record for most perfect passer ratings came in 2007, with four. (Roethlisberger had two that season.)
The NFL determines passer rating (not to be confused with the inherently flawed ESPN QBR) through a formula that places equal importance on completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown percentage, and interception percentage. The maximum number (and thus the perfect rating) is 158.3.
In all, NFL quarterbacks have generated a perfect rating 72 times.