Why Joe Flacco is the NFL's most underrated QB

Josh McSwain

When many people talk about Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, some use the words game manager, product of his defense, etc. They could not be more wrong.

John Harbaugh may think he’s the best and while that is an embellishment, I certainly think Flacco is the most underappreciated signal caller in the game right now. Here are the three main reasons why:

1. Playoff record

Flacco has led the Ravens to playoff wins six of his first seven years in the NFL. He was the first quarterback to win a playoff game his first five years in the league. He has gone against and beaten the best. He has a 2-2 playoff record against Tom Brady and the Patriots, all on the road, which could easily be 4-0 if not for two dropped passes Flacco put on the money. He’s also defeated Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger on the road in playoff games.

2. Ability to turn around a lowly team and make them a consistent winner

Most people forget that when Flacco was drafted, he took over a 5-11 team. Steve McNair was over the hill and couldn’t win despite the presence of elite defensive talent in Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, among others. Even though it wasn’t pretty his first year, he got the Ravens to the AFC title game in his first season and has not looked back since.

3. Ability to win with average receiving talent

What stars has Flacco had to throw to? Steve Smith Sr. in 2014? Yeah right. Torrey Smith was a good complementary receiver but nothing stellar. Derrick Mason was a decent possession receiver for a couple years. As far as tight ends go, he’s had Todd Heap at the end of his career, Owen Daniels, Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson. No perennial all pros among that group…

Flacco is a franchise quarterback, no questions asked. There are very few teams who would trade their QB performance over the last seven years for what Flacco has done. He isn’t up there with Aaron Rodgers or the other elites, but he is without a doubt one of the next tier guys. He is far from the most accurate quarterback in the league but he certainly has one of the strongest arms and has become Mr. Clutch.

People want to keep reinforcing the narrative that Flacco is a product of defense and that he rode a running game and defense to a championship. This could not be further from the truth. 11 touchdowns and no interceptions during their playoff run suggest otherwise.

Also, everyone forgets that his defense gave up 30+ points twice in that championship run. While I may not say he’s in the top five, there’s no doubt he’s in the top 10.

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