Joe Flacco has been one of the best stories in the NFL. Last year, the longtime Baltimore Raven veteran quarterback went from being on the couch to leading his former rival Cleveland Browns to a playoff berth. Not only that, but he actually won AP’s Comeback Player of the Year.
Now, he is being given another chance as the start of the Indianapolis Colts as he replaces the struggling Anthony Richardson. With the spotlight once again on the journeyman, many fans are left wondering if Flacco has ever actually won the Super Bowl during his long career.
Joe Flacco’s Early Postseason Struggles
Flacco and the Ravens won playoff games in his first two seasons, but the defense and running game were key to the team’s success. Flacco completed 47.5% of his passes with one touchdown and six interceptions in five playoff games in his first two seasons.
Flacco made a bigger impact in the next two seasons with the Ravens in the playoffs. He completed 60.6% of his passes and averaged 218 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions in four postseason games after the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
Flacco was on the brink of leading a stunning comeback against the New England Patriots in the 2011 AFC title game.
The Ravens were trailing by three with less than 30 seconds left in the game when wide receiver Lee Evans couldn’t hold onto a Flacco pass that would have been the go-ahead touchdown. Baltimore kicker Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal that would have tied the game with 11 seconds left.
This year marks the first time in his career that Flacco will be playing in the post-season as a member of another team other than the Ravens. All of his playoff appearances came between 2008-2015 and has a playoff record of 7-5 during that time.
The majority of Flacco’s playoff matchups have come on the road and is one road playoff win from his eighth victory in such a manner making him the the NFL quarterback with the most road playoff wins in league history.
The playoffs are an opportunity that Flacco doesn’t take lightly and with there being a nine-year gap between his last chance and now, it is something that is not lost on him either.
“Anytime you get to be in the playoffs and win football games, there’s some part of you that takes pride in that, no matter where it is,” Flacco said. “This is what we go to work for every day — to be in this position and to play these types of games. I think we should all hold our heads high.
We earned the right to be playing this Saturday, and you should gain something from it. Once you lace them up and once you’re out in the field, none of that matters.”
Leading the Way in 2012
Following the heartbreaking loss to New England, Baltimore went 10-6 and won the AFC North in 2012. Flacco passed for 282 yards with two touchdowns in an AFC Wild Card win against the Indianapolis Colts.
Baltimore traveled to face Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the next round. Trailing by seven, Flacco and the Ravens offense got the ball with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter on their own 23 with no timeouts.
On third down, Flacco found Jacoby Jones for a 70-yard touchdown to tie the game with 31 seconds left.
Rookie kicker Justin Tucker hit the game-winning 47-yard field goal in double overtime to give the Ravens a 38-35 win and another trip to the AFC Championship Game in New England.
The Ravens upset the Patriots 28-13 behind Flacco’s three touchdown passes to earn a trip to the Super Bowl.
The Harbaugh Bowl
John Harbaugh’s Ravens took on his brother Jim’s San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Flacco’s three first-half touchdown passes helped the Ravens take a 21-6 halftime lead into the locker room.
The Ravens extended the lead to 28-6 when Jones returned the opening kickoff of the second half 108 yards for a touchdown. A few minutes later, there was a power outage that lasted 34 minutes.
When the lights came back on, the 49ers rallied back and had a chance to take the lead, but Colin Kaepernick’s pass to Michael Crabtree on fourth-and-goal was incomplete in the last two minutes.
Thrillingly, Flacco and the Ravens held on to win the matchup 34-31. Flacco was lights out himself in the game and finished with 287 passing yards, three touchdowns, and a passer rating of 124.2 en route to being named the game MVP.