It's Joe Flacco's time to prove that he's... really good
Don't say elite.
We're done using that word.
It's meaningless — an artificial threshold that no one can truly pinpoint or define.
Where's the cutoff point of an "elite quarterback"?
It doesn't matter if Joe Flacco is an elite quarterback or not. What matters is that he's the quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, a team that might have the best defense in the NFL, and frankly, they need him to be better.
Flacco is 25th in the NFL in passer rating and ranks 25th in Pro Football Focus' quarterback grades — the final starter of a lower-middle tier, before a precipitous drop to the bottom rung, inhabited by Colin Kaepernick, Blake Bortles, and Eli Manning.
That's not the kind of performance that's going to lead a team to a division title or postseason victories, and it's not as if Flacco is surrounded by elite-level playmakers.
If Flacco has another gear, now is his time to find it.
Late-season surges are a Flacco specialty — remember the 2012 playoffs? — and he might be in the middle of one right now. At least the Ravens are hoping so.
A big game against Miami in Week 13 was a great sign —Flacco threw for four touchdowns and 381 yards on 76 percent passing. You're not going to do much better than that.
Flacco has been fine in the two weeks since — regression from that high point was inevitable — but the play has been up-and-down.
The ups: completing 71 percent of his passes against the Patriots.
The downs: Flacco's interception deep in Eagles territory while looking to put the game away in the fourth quarter — a play call Ravens coach John Harbaugh called an "all-time worst" play call. (It was a bad play call, John. You know what's worse? The throw.)
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It's hardly a shocking statement, but as Flacco goes, so goes the Ravens offense — and with that defense, slightly above average could mean big things for Baltimore this postseason.
Christmas day, with the AFC North crown on the line against the rival Steelers in Pittsburgh, will provide the perfect litmus test for the Ravens' quarterback.
Sunday's contest is a playoff game — it might be played in the regular season, but it has all the weight of a January contest.
We'll see if Flacco, now a year removed from his ACL and MCL injuries, has what it takes to lead the Ravens to postseason glory this season.
It won't be easy — the Steelers' defense has jumped to another level in the past five games, all Pittsburgh wins. In that time, opposing quarterbacks are completing less than 60 percent of passes, have thrown 6 touchdowns to 7 interceptions, and have been sacked 19 times.
The Ravens are better than the opponents over the past five games — the Browns, the Giants (yep), the Bengals, Colts, and Bills — but to this point they cannot be granted the benefit of the doubt. We know the defense will show up, but the offense will have to prove that it's ready for prime time.
It all starts, and stops, with Flacco.
We're going to find out a lot about the eighth-year quarterback and his team's prospects Sunday night.