Against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, QB Joe Flacco had one of his best games of the season and possibly his career. Completing 21 of 33 passes for 341 passes and three touchdowns, Flacco completely dismantled the Raiders defense and looked quite impressive while doing so. He also rushed for one touchdown on a quarterback sneak, giving him a total of four touchdowns on the day.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Flacco connect with his receivers deep down the field, but he was able to do so several times Sunday. The Ravens had many plays go for 20+ yards including a beautiful pass to Torrey Smith for a 47-yard touchdown.
The deep passing is actually what impressed me most, as Flacco was fitting the ball into perfect windows where only his receivers could catch it. The deep ball accuracy has greatly improved for Flacco over his career and he really showed it off today.
One of the reasons his receivers were able to get so wide open was Flacco’s ability to effectively look off the safeties and draw them away with pump fakes. He read the defense very well and was able to work off of what looks they gave him. While the Raiders are certainly by no means a defensive powerhouse, Flacco played exceptionally well and was one of the main reasons for the Ravens’ victory.
It should also be noted that Joe was not sacked once against Oakland. I give a lot of the credit for this to Flacco himself, as he showed a lot of poise in the pocket and threw the ball away when he needed to.
The day wasn’t entirely perfect for Flacco as he did throw one interception, but more credit should be given to Raiders cornerback Michael Huff, who made a great play, tipping the ball to himself. While it probably wasn’t the best decision, I don’t fault Flacco entirely for the interception and it shouldn’t take away from what would have otherwise been a perfect day.
