Time creaked to a stop Wednesday afternoon in the NFL Media newsroom -- for baseball.
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This doesn't happen often, but neither does a perfect game.
When Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez accomplished the feat in a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, it marked just the 23rd perfect game in Major League Baseball history.
The question bubbled up as Hernandez was mauled by teammates: Is there an NFL equivalent to the rare ebb and flow of baseball's perfect game?
Not a chance. Totally different worlds.
Football draws closest to baseball's statistical wonderland when a quarterback triggers a perfect passer rating of 158.3. It requires at least 20 attempts in a game, but it's a man-made rating system with which many find fault. Incompletions can slip in, mistakes can be made -- it's not really a symbol of perfection.
Oddly enough, these are equally rare events (although not really, because baseball has been around since the dawn of man): Still, 23 perfect games; 23 instances of a perfect passer rating. Pitchers and quarterbacks are a combined 46-0 in these contests.
After Hernandez locked it down, Dan Hanzus told a story of being at David Cone's perfect game for the New York Yankees in 1999. Most of you remember where you were when the last no-hitter or perfecto went down.
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So, where were you the last time a quarterback dialed up the old 158.3? Be honest.
It's not the same. Football players don't even know a perfect passer rating is happening during a game, and neither do fans. A perfect pitcher, dipping into the later innings of his masterwork, feels the world closing in. Total fishbowl. Out-of-body focus is requisite.
Listen, we'll take football over baseball any day of the week, but here's one area where perfection has two different meanings.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
To refresh your memory, here's the list of quarterbacks with NFL single-game perfect passer ratings:
| Perfect NFL passer ratings in a single game (minimum of 20 pass attempts) | |||||
|
Player, Team
|
Date, Opponent
|
Comp/Att.
|
Pct.
|
Yards
|
TD-INT
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
11/25/2010 vs.
Lions
|
21/27
|
77.8
|
341
|
4-0
|
|
|
11/30/09 vs.
Patriots
|
18/23
|
78.3
|
371
|
5-0
|
|
|
Kurt Warner,
Cardinals
|
09/14/08 vs.
Dolphins
|
19/24
|
79.2
|
361
|
3-0
|
|
12/20/07 vs.
Rams
|
16/20
|
80.0
|
261
|
3-0
|
|
|
10/21/07 vs.
Dolphins
|
21/25
|
84.0
|
354
|
6-0
|
|
|
Donovan McNabb,
Eagles
|
09/23/07 vs.
Lions
|
21/26
|
80.8
|
381
|
4-0
|
|
Trent Green,
Chiefs
|
12/14/03 vs.
Lions
|
20/25
|
80.0
|
341
|
3-0
|
|
09/28/03 vs.
Saints
|
20/25
|
80.0
|
314
|
6/0
|
|
|
Kerry Collins,
Giants
|
12/22/02 vs.
Colts
|
23/29
|
79.3
|
366
|
4-0
|
|
11/10/02 vs.
Eagles
|
18/23
|
78.3
|
319
|
3-0
|
|
|
Doug Flutie,
Bills
|
12/23/00 vs.
Seahawks
|
20/25
|
80.0
|
366
|
3-0
|
|
10/22/00 vs.
Patriots
|
16/20
|
80.0
|
268
|
3-0
|
|
|
Kurt Warner,
Rams
|
10/01/00 vs.
Chargers
|
24/30
|
80.0
|
390
|
4-0
|
|
Kurt Warner,
Rams
|
10/03/1999 vs.
Bengals
|
17/21
|
81.0
|
310
|
3-0
|
|
Jeff Blake,
Bengals
|
10/19/95 vs.
Steelers
|
18/22
|
81.8
|
275
|
3-0
|
|
Chris Chandler, Oilers
|
09/24/95 vs.
Bengals
|
23/26
|
88.5
|
352
|
4-0
|
|
Dave Krieg,
Lions
|
11/24/94 vs.
Bills
|
20/25
|
80.0
|
351
|
3-0
|
|
Craig Erickson,
Buccaneers
|
09/11/94 vs.
Colts
|
19/24
|
79.2
|
313
|
3-0
|
|
Ken O'Brien,
Jets
|
11/02/86 vs.
Seahawks
|
26/32
|
81.3
|
431
|
4-0
|
|
Vince Evans,
Bears
|
12/07/80 vs.
Packers
|
18/22
|
81.8
|
316
|
3-0
|
|
Ken Anderson,
Bengals
|
11/03/74 vs.
Colts
|
17/21
|
81.0
|
297
|
3-0
|
|
Johnny Unitas,
Colts
|
11/12/67 vs.
Falcons
|
17/20
|
85.0
|
370
|
4-0
|
|
Y.A. Tittle,
Giants
|
11/10/63 vs.
Eagles
|
16/20
|
80.0
|
261
|
3-0
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