Numbers lie. Well, they don't exactly lie, but they sure do hide the truth sometimes. If you just glance at the 2024 NFL QB ratings, you might think you’ve got the whole story. You see Lamar Jackson at the top, you see Joe Burrow’s gaudy yardage, and you figure the hierarchy is set in stone.
But honestly? The stats from this past season are kind of a mess if you don't know how to read between the lines. We saw everything from a rookie almost breaking the system to a veteran in Detroit proving every single one of his doubters wrong.
The King of Efficiency: Lamar's Historic Run
Lamar Jackson finished the 2024 regular season with a 119.6 passer rating. That isn't just "good." It’s basically video game territory. To put that in perspective, he was throwing a touchdown on 8.6% of his passes. Most "elite" guys are happy if they hit 6%.
He wasn't just dinking and dunking either. The Ravens' offense let him hunt. He led the league with 8.8 yards per attempt. He threw 41 touchdowns and somehow only gave away 4 interceptions. Usually, when a guy takes that many shots downfield, the picks start piling up. Not for Lamar. He found this weird, perfect flow state where he was aggressive but perfectly safe with the ball.
Why Joe Burrow’s 108.5 Rating is Deceptive
If you just look at the 108.5 rating, you’d say Joe Burrow had a great year. But "great" doesn't quite cover it. He was the only guy to crack 4,900 passing yards (finishing with 4,918, to be exact).
The Bengals' defense was essentially a sieve for the first half of the year. Burrow was forced to play hero ball nearly every Sunday. He led the league in attempts with 652 and completions with 460. Despite everyone in the stadium knowing he was going to throw, he still completed over 70% of his passes. PFF actually gave him their "Best Passer" award because his grade under pressure—a 75.6—was the highest in the NFL. He was literally the best in the league at the hardest part of the job.
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The Redemption of Jared Goff
Basically, nobody expected Jared Goff to be the second-highest-rated quarterback in football. He finished with a 111.8 rating.
The narrative used to be that he was a "system QB" who couldn't function if things got messy. 2024 changed that. He was incredibly accurate, posting a 72.4% completion rate. That’s the kind of efficiency we usually only see from peak Drew Brees. He helped the Lions to a 15-2 record by just being a surgeon in the intermediate passing game.
2024 NFL QB Ratings: The Top Performers
When we talk about the best of the best from this past season, the list usually starts and ends with these five names. They all took different paths to get there.
- Lamar Jackson (BAL): 119.6 Rating | 4,172 Yards | 41 TD | 4 INT
- Jared Goff (DET): 111.8 Rating | 4,629 Yards | 37 TD | 12 INT
- Joe Burrow (CIN): 108.5 Rating | 4,918 Yards | 43 TD | 9 INT
- Baker Mayfield (TAM): 106.8 Rating | 4,500 Yards | 41 TD | 16 INT
- Sam Darnold (MIN): 102.5 Rating | 4,319 Yards | 35 TD | 12 INT
It’s wild to see Sam Darnold on a list like this, right? But Kevin O'Connell's system in Minnesota basically resurrected his career. He wasn't just a placeholder for J.J. McCarthy; he was a legitimate top-10 producer.
The Jayden Daniels Factor
We have to talk about the rookie. Jayden Daniels finished the year with a 100.1 passer rating. For a first-year guy, that is legitimately insane. It’s the fourth-best rookie rating in the modern era.
He didn't play like a kid. He completed 69% of his passes and added nearly 900 yards on the ground. Most rookies struggle with the "speed of the game," but Daniels seemed to be playing at a different tempo than everyone else. He wasn't just a "scrambler who can throw"; he was a sophisticated passer who happened to be the fastest guy on the field.
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The Mahomes "Slump" That Wasn't
Patrick Mahomes finished with a 93.5 rating. People who only look at the box score might think he had a "down" year. He only threw 26 touchdowns, which is low for him.
But here’s the thing: the Chiefs didn't need him to be a fireworks show. Their defense was elite, so Mahomes played more of a "point guard" role. His average depth of target was only 7.0 yards. He was taking what the defense gave him, moving the chains, and winning games. The Chiefs went 15-1 in his starts. A 93.5 rating while being that conservative is actually a sign of how much he’s evolved as a winner.
What the Ratings Don't Tell You
Passer rating is a decent shorthand, but it’s far from perfect. It doesn't count rushing yards. It doesn't account for sacks. If a QB gets sacked 50 times because he holds the ball too long, his passer rating stays high even though he’s killing the offense.
For instance, Geno Smith had a 93.2 rating, which looks average. But he was pressured on a league-high percentage of his dropbacks and sacked 50 times. If you put him behind the Lions' offensive line, that rating is probably 10 points higher.
On the flip side, Baker Mayfield’s 106.8 is boosted by having Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Those guys make "contested catches" look easy. If your receivers are constantly bailing you out, your rating is going to look a bit inflated.
Beyond the Box Score: PFF and QBR
If you want a clearer picture of who played well, you sort of have to look at PFF (Pro Football Focus) grades. They watch every single snap and grade based on whether the QB actually made the right play, regardless of the outcome.
- Lamar Jackson: 94.9 (Highest PFF Grade)
- Joe Burrow: 93.9
- Josh Allen: 91.9 (The League MVP)
Wait, Josh Allen? Yeah. He had a 101.4 passer rating, which was 8th in the league. But the voters saw his 43 "big-time throws" and his 14 rushing touchdowns and realized he was the most valuable player on any roster. The traditional passer rating formula just doesn't know what to do with a guy like Allen who runs like a fullback.
Actionable Takeaways for Football Fans
If you're trying to figure out what these 2024 NFL QB ratings mean for the upcoming season, here’s how to use this info:
- Don't overvalue yards: Joe Burrow led in yards but his team missed the playoffs. Efficiency and EPA (Expected Points Added) are better indicators of winning.
- Watch the sack rates: Look at guys like Caleb Williams (sacked 65 times). If a team doesn't fix the line, a high passer rating doesn't matter.
- Context is everything: A 100.0 rating in a run-heavy offense (like Justin Herbert with the Chargers) is often more impressive than a 105.0 rating in a pass-happy system.
- Regression is real: Watch out for "outliers" like Sam Darnold. It’s hard to maintain a 100+ rating when you’ve historically been in the 80s.
Keep an eye on the 2025 training camps. If you see a guy with a high 2024 rating whose offensive coordinator just left, or whose star tackle got traded, expect those numbers to take a dip. Ratings are a snapshot of a moment, not a guarantee of the future.