Last week was absolutely awesome. The Ravens dominated the Panthers in virtually every phase of the game. It was arguably one of the most complete wins in franchise history.
Steve Smith got his vindication, the defense forced turnovers and stuffed the run, and Joe Flacco quietly had perhaps his best regular season start of his career. He also set a franchise record for the highest quarterback rating in Ravens franchise history. Kudos to everyone.
With all that said, it’s time to move on. The Ravens are heading to Indy to face one of the hottest teams in the NFL. If they aren’t mentally prepared and focused on the tall task that awaits them on Sunday, all those good feelings could become a distant memory very quickly.
Andrew Luck has been absolutely on fire his last two games. In the past two weeks he has combined for over 700 yards with 8 touchdowns and 1 interception. His completion percentage is a whopping 75.1. Yikes!
If the Ravens want to walk out of Lucas Oil Stadium 4-1, they will need another big game from Flacco considering the vulnerability of the Ravens’ secondary.
Can Joe Flacco avoid a letdown on the road?
Joe played lights out this past Sunday. While all good quarterbacks lay an egg here and there, it seems like a lot of his best games have at times been followed by his worst.
In 2011, the Ravens steamrolled the Steelers 35-7 at home in very similar fashion to their dismantling of the Panthers this past Sunday. Joe was 17-29 that day, threw three touchdowns and had a rating of 117.9. He followed that up with a game against the Titans on the road where his completion percentage was under 50 percent. He threw two interceptions and had a rating of 51.2. The Ravens lost 26-13.
In 2012, the Ravens crushed the Bengals at home to open the season. Flacco had a completion percentage of over 72 percent, he connected for two touchdowns, didn’t turn the ball over and had a rating of 128.4. In week 2 the Ravens traveled to Philly. Joe barely completed half of his passes, threw one touchdown and one interception. His rating that day was 66.8 and the Ravens lost 24-23.
Last year the Ravens scored 30 points once when they beat the Texans 30-9 in week 3. While Flacco didn’t throw any touchdowns that day he didn’t turn the ball over either and completed almost 70 percent of his passes. He followed that up with perhaps his worst game of his career, throwing 5 interceptions in Buffalo and completing only 50 percent of his passes.
It’s a disturbing trend for the Ravens signal caller and one he will hope to avoid this Sunday in Indianapolis. 2014 is a new year, with new playmakers, new offensive linemen and a new coaching staff. Hopefully these factors help contribute to consistent success for Flacco as he and the Ravens approach a tough stretch of contests away from M&T Bank Stadium.
