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Baltimore Ravens: Joe Flacco is the most underrated QB in NFL

By Stephen Forsha

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Ask yourself this … where do you rank Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco on today’s NFL lists of best quarterbacks?

Before you answer, think about this … what arguments go into your quarterback rankings?

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The measuring stick by some for NFL starting quarterbacks always seems to come back to winning Super Bowl championships when debating about football with friends or co-workers.

Personally, it is an easy way out of a debate and one argument I don’t think stands the test of time. I say that because there are a few great quarterbacks who never won a Super Bowl title who are Hall of Famers or on the brink of joining the greats in Canton, Ohio.

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Some tout how many Super Bowl titles Tom Brady has, how few Peyton Manning has won, or even to a point how the likes of Hall of Famers Dan Fouts, Dan Marino or Fran Tarkenton have none.

Those few quarterbacks mentioned are considered some of the all-time greats, and if we are mentioning Super Bowl titles, Flacco has one on his resumé when the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.

But Flacco is more than just that one title, though it is at the top of his resumé, as he’s a very consistent quarterback, and one I believe is very underrated for all that he does.

During that Super Bowl season of 2012, Flacco passed for 3,817 yards with 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, playing all 16 games of the regular season, something he’s done every year of his career since entering the league in ’08.

His QB rating that Super Bowl year was 87.7, with a 59.7 competition percentage. He averaged 7.2 yards per competition and 238.6 yards passing per game.

Not bad numbers at all.

Jan 10, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) celebrates after the Ravens

Since winning the Super Bowl, some of Flacco’s numbers have improved with a ’13 season of 3,912 yards (19 touchdowns, 22 interceptions … those INT numbers weren’t so great), and last season he finished with 3,986 yards with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Looking back at Flacco’s ’14 season, he was 12th in passing yards and 12th in touchdown passes. Another plus for Flacco in ’14 was sacked just 19 times in 16 games.

Sarah Ellison of BaltimoreRavens.com wrote about Flacco’s goals for his upcoming eighth NFL season:

"“When asked about what he’ll do to better his game in 2015, Flacco didn’t say a single thing about stats, wins or any accolades, such as getting a Pro Bowl nod for the first time. Instead, he named three specific goals: 1) Stay healthy, 2) Maintain strong communication with his OC Marc Trestman, and 3) Work on his footwork. That’s it.”"

Maybe with those type of goals, that’s why Flacco is one of the more consistent quarterbacks in the NFL … plus, when the playoffs roll around, he and the Ravens are involved most years.

In two ’14 playoff games, Flacco passed for 551 yards and two interceptions. Unfortunately for the Ravens, those interceptions came against the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round, Flacco was 18-of-29 for 259 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed 62.1 percent of his passes and had a QB Rating of 114.0 in the 30-17 win.

In the Divisional Round game against the Patriots, Flacco was 28-of-45 for 292 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. In that loss, Flacco had two first-quarter touchdown passes of 19 yards and nine yards, and in the second quarter, he found Owen Daniels for 11 yards.

Flacco began the second half with his fourth touchdown pass, finding Justin Forsett for 16 yards.

Both of Flacco’s interceptions came with under five minutes left in the fourth quarter of that Divisional Round Playoff game.

We all know Flacco isn’t in the category of Brady or Aaron Rodgers when it comes to quarterbacks (or is he?), but I do believe Flacco doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his level of play since joining the NFL out of Delaware in 2008.

His peers ranked him 97th in the NFL Network Top 100 list, voted on by the players, and the 12th best quarterback in the NFL.

I believe Flacco is a Top 10 QB in the NFL, because he continues to be one of the most consistent players in the league, and when he steps onto the field, everyone knows what he’ll produce.

If he’s being looked over for being consistent in his play each week, well, Flacco seems to be using it to his advantage most weeks, shown in his overall record since joining the NFL, and this season he’ll most likely prove yet again he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

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