Tua Tagovailoa Hasn't Been Perfect, But He's Getting Close: All Things CW

It takes a lot to achieve a statistical perfect game in the NFL, an accomplishment that's only been done once by a former Alabama quarterback.

The All Things CW notes column by Christopher Walsh will appear in five parts this week, one each day as the Alabama Crimson Tide prepares to visit Ole Miss.

This is ...

Take 2

You may have seen some claims by an analytic stat service that by their standards Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had recently thrown the NFL equivalent to a perfect game. 

Not quite.  

A perfect game in baseball, of course, is no one reaching base. It's 27 batters up, and 27 down. There have been 23 perfect games in Major League Baseball, and none since 2012 (Felix Hernandez). Meanwhile, there have been 318 no-hitters, the most recent being last week in the World Series.  

Years ago, someone figured out the statistical equivalent in football based on passer rating. Note that the ratings are different between the college and the pro game, so one does not translate to the other. 

To qualify for an NFL perfect game one must:

• Attempt at least 10 passes
• Have zero interceptions
• Have a minimum completion percentage of 77.5 percent
• Have a minimum of 11.875 percent of their passes score touchdowns
• Have a minimum of 12.5 yards per attempt. 

It adds up to a 158.3, the "perfect passer rating."

It's a very high standard and the key is efficiency. The closest anyone has come over this and last season was Matthew Stafford's 156.1 against the Bears in 2021 as he only had 12.3 yards per attempt. 

The last successful perfect game was by Tom Brady, Dec. 26, 2020, against the Detroit Lions. 

Tagovailoa had a 135.7 rating against the Bears last week, following his 138.7 against the Lions the week before. They're the two best statistical games of his NFL career. 

1. 29-for-36, 80.56 percent, 382 yards, 10.61 percent of passes for TDs, 12.28 yards per attempt at Detroit.
2. 21-for-30, 70.0 percent, 302 yards, 10.07 percent of passes for TDs, 12.07 yards per attempt at Chicago. 

Thats' right, both games were on the road. He's also still just 24 years old.

Tagovailoa's 115.9 rating leads the NFL this season, with Jalen Hurts second at 107.8.

Tagovailoa also has the best passer rating on third downs, 147.0, having completed 42 of 57 attempts for 73.7 percent, 601 yards, with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. 

Overall, 64 players have notched at least one perfect game, which has been done a total of 78 times. Eight players have done it more than once: Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning top the list with four; Kurt Warner and Tom Brady with three; while Craig Morton, Dave Krieg, Ken O'Brien, and Lamar Jackson each have two. 

The only perfect game by a former Crimson Tide quarterback was Joe Namath against the Miami Dolphins in 1967. He was 13-for-15 for 199 yards and two touchdowns. 

He might soon have some company. 

See Also:

Take 1: Alcohol and Fans Rushing Fields a Toxic, Disastrous Combination

Rushing the Field from a Media Perspective: Three-And-Out

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