Sports & Gaming · Statistics · Descriptive Statistics
Football Completion Percentage Calculator
Calculate a quarterback's completion percentage by dividing completions by pass attempts and multiplying by 100.
Calculator
Formula
Completions = number of forward passes caught by a receiver; Attempts = total forward passes thrown (including incomplete and intercepted passes). The ratio is multiplied by 100 to express the result as a percentage.
Source: NFL Official Playing Rules, Rule 8 (Forward Pass) — National Football League, 2023.
How it works
Completion percentage is calculated by dividing the number of completed forward passes by the total number of forward pass attempts, then multiplying the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage. Only forward passes count; lateral passes are ignored. Intercepted passes still count as both an attempt and an incompletion.
The statistic has been a core part of official NFL box scores since the league's early decades, and it remains standardized across the NFL, NCAA, and most international gridiron leagues. A higher completion percentage generally signals better accuracy, though context — receiver quality, intended air yards, play design, and defensive coverage — also matters significantly.
Fantasy football platforms, sports analytics firms, and broadcast networks all use this exact formula. Advanced metrics like CPOE (Completion Percentage Over Expected) build directly on top of this baseline calculation by comparing a passer's actual completion percentage against a modeled expectation.
Worked example
Suppose a quarterback threw 35 pass attempts and completed 24 of them. Here is the step-by-step calculation:
Step 1 — Divide completions by attempts:
24 ÷ 35 = 0.6857…
Step 2 — Convert to a percentage:
0.6857 × 100 = 68.57%
Step 3 — Calculate incomplete passes:
35 − 24 = 11 incomplete passes
Step 4 — Incompletion percentage:
11 ÷ 35 × 100 = 31.43%
A 68.57% completion rate is above the NFL single-season average of roughly 63–65%, indicating a very accurate outing for this hypothetical quarterback.
Limitations & notes
Completion percentage does not distinguish between a 2-yard checkdown and a 50-yard touchdown pass — both count equally as one completion. A quarterback who only throws safe, short routes can inflate this number without truly moving the offense downfield. Conversely, a deep-passing quarterback may post lower completion percentages while generating more explosive plays and yards per attempt.
Spiked balls, throwaways, and passes that are dropped by receivers but ruled incomplete also affect the raw numbers without necessarily reflecting the passer's accuracy. Drops in particular can unfairly penalize a quarterback whose accuracy was actually good. For a fuller picture of quarterback performance, analysts combine completion percentage with yards per attempt, adjusted net yards per attempt (ANY/A), passer rating, and Expected Points Added (EPA).
If completions entered exceed attempts, this calculator returns an invalid result — please double-check your inputs before using the result.
Frequently asked questions
What is considered a good completion percentage in the NFL?
The NFL single-season average completion percentage has risen over time and now sits around 63–65%. Elite quarterbacks in the modern era regularly post seasons above 68–70%. Completion percentages below 58% are generally considered below average at the professional level, though season-long context always matters.
Does an interception count as a pass attempt?
Yes. Under official NFL and NCAA scoring rules, every forward pass thrown beyond the line of scrimmage counts as a pass attempt, regardless of the outcome. An interception is recorded as an attempt and as an incompletion, so it lowers a quarterback's completion percentage.
Do lateral passes count toward completion percentage?
No. Only forward passes — throws that travel toward the opponent's end zone — count as pass attempts. Lateral passes (throws parallel to or behind the line of scrimmage that are not counted as forward passes) are treated as rushes under official scoring rules and are excluded entirely from passing statistics.
How does the NFL all-time completion percentage record stand?
Through the 2023 season, Drew Brees holds the NFL all-time career completion percentage record at approximately 67.7%. Among active passers, several quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert have career marks well above 65%, reflecting the modern game's shift toward short-to-intermediate passing schemes.
Is completion percentage the same as quarterback passer rating?
No. Completion percentage is one of four components used to calculate the NFL Passer Rating formula, along with yards per attempt, touchdown percentage, and interception percentage. Passer rating scales each component and combines them into a composite score out of a maximum of 158.3. A high completion percentage improves passer rating but does not determine it on its own.
How is completion percentage used in fantasy football?
Most standard fantasy football leagues do not award points directly for completion percentage, but it influences adjacent stats that do score — like passing yards and touchdowns — since completing passes is a prerequisite for accumulating them. Some DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) platforms and advanced leagues do incorporate completion-based bonuses or efficiency metrics.
What is Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)?
CPOE is an advanced metric developed by sports analytics researchers (popularized by sources such as ESPN Stats & Info and Next Gen Stats) that compares a quarterback's actual completion percentage to a modeled expectation based on factors like target distance, receiver separation, and defensive coverage. A positive CPOE means the quarterback outperformed expectations; a negative CPOE means they underperformed. This context-adjusted measure corrects for the play-calling bias inherent in raw completion percentage.
Last updated: 2025-01-30 · Formula verified against primary sources.