Yes, let’s open up the, “Is Joe Flacco an elite quarterback,” debate again just because we can. Actually, let’s just see where Flacco will rank this season among the quarterbacks in the NFL.
We’ve seen some up-and-down regular seasons from Flacco over the past, but things finally came together last season in Gary Kubiak’s offense. Flacco threw for 3,986 yards and 27 touchdowns, which were both career highs for the Delaware product.
He thrived in Kubiak’s offense, and it didn’t go unnoticed by analysts. In fact, ESPN’s Ron Jaworski named Flacco as the No. 10 quarterback for this season. Some might think that it’s a bit of a stretch, but I definitely see Flacco having a top 10 season.
Flacco’s receiving corps took a hit when Torrey Smith left in free agency, but Ozzie Newsome drafted Smith’s replica in Breshad Perriman. We don’t know when Perriman will be healthy, yet it wasn’t known if Perriman would make an immediate impact anyway. In fact, it gives players like Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown, who have both been buried in the depth chart in the past, a chance to show what they can do after being in the Ravens’ system.
Now, Steve Smith Sr., Aiken and Brown will be Flacco’s top receivers this season. Aiken and Brown have solid hands, but Smith Sr. struggled last year hauling in the football at times. This is critical, as Ravens’ receivers had 29 drops last year, which was fourth in the NFL, according to Sporting Charts. In fact, Smith Sr. had 10 of those drops, which hurt the Ravens on quite a few occasions.
However, Flacco was still able to produce exceptional number, even with all of the drops. He’ll likely see his numbers rise, especially because of tight ends, Maxx Williams and Crockett Gillmore, having good hands. Flacco loves to rely on his tight ends and Gilmore proved towards the end of last season that he could be a reliable redzone target. Williams showed off his skills in preseason and could be Flacco’s safety net, if he can stay healthy.
Flacco’s passing numbers will also surely rise, as he goes against many sub-par pass defenses this year. He plays Pittsburgh twice, Cincinnati twice, Arizona, Jacksonville and St. Louis, who all ranked 16th or worse last year in passing yards allowed, according to Sporting Charts.
Yes, Flacco will have to face some top pass defenses in Seattle, Kansas City and Miami. However, Flacco has done well against Miami in the past and finished with a 106.8 QB rating against them last year. Seattle and Kansas City will prove to be tests, but they haven’t faced an improved Flacco in a few years.
Finally, Flacco will have a huge season under the tutelage of Marc Trestman, who has been known to work magic with quarterbacks. Trestman brings in a ton of knowledge from his coaching career and will likely let Flacco do what he did in the system last year. It’s important to let Flacco run his offense on the field, as it will give him the confidence to make big plays.
It’ll be important for Justin Forsett to have another successful rushing year in order to open up the passing game. The Ravens do have one of the top offensive lines in the NFL, which is good news for both Forsett and Flacco. Once the rushing game gets going, Flacco will have chances to take shots down the field and put up big numbers.
So is Joe Flacco an elite quarterback? That will always be up for debate, but be ready for the quarterback to produce top 10 numbers and lead the Ravens into the playoffs once again.
