Joe Flacco
Encyclopedia
Flacco was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens
18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft
, becoming the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware
. He was also the first Division 1 FCS (formerly 1-AA) quarterback selected in the first round of the draft since Steve McNair
went third overall to the Houston Oilers
in the 1995 NFL Draft
.
Due to a season-ending injury to incumbent starter Kyle Boller
and an illness to former Heisman Trophy
winner Troy Smith
, Flacco became the starting quarterback in the 2008 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals
. Flacco completed 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards, his longest pass being a 15-yard play to Derrick Mason
. He threw no touchdowns and no interceptions in his debut, but he had a 38-yard rushing touchdown, which was the longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback in Ravens' franchise history. Flacco's touchdown put the Ravens up 17–3, and the team eventually won the game 17–10.
Flacco then led the Ravens to a 28–10 week 3 win over the Cleveland Browns
(the week 2 game with the Texans
was postponed due to Hurricane Ike
).
In a week 4 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
, Flacco played his first road game, his first Monday Night Football game and also threw his first professional touchdown pass on a three yard corner to tight end Daniel Wilcox
.
In a week 7 victory over the Miami Dolphins
, Flacco earned his first career road victory, throwing for over 230 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Through week 7, Flacco also maintained a completion percentage of 64.2, the tenth best in the NFL.
In a week 8 win over the Oakland Raiders
, Flacco not only passed for a touchdown but also ran for one. Flacco also caught a 43 yard pass in a trick formation deemed the "Wildcat". Many analysts viewed this and the last game as the potential launching point into a career of success. After the week 8 win, head coach John Harbaugh announced that the "Suggs package", a two quarterback offense using Flacco and Troy Smith, would be part of the offense the rest of the season.
In a week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals
, he threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, for the Ravens' sixth win in their previous seven games. In that seven game stretch, he compiled a passer rating of 99.1, the best of any quarterbacks in that span.
In a week 16 win over the Dallas Cowboys
, he was 17-for-25 throwing 149 yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 96.9. In winning the game, he became the last quarterback to win at Texas Stadium
as this was the last game ever played at Texas Stadium. This would also make him the second rookie quarterback ever to win at Texas Stadium, behind Ben Roethlisberger
.
In week 17, Flacco had a new personal best, 297 yards. He was 17-of-23 for a quarterback rating of 115.8 as the Baltimore Ravens routed the Jacksonville Jaguars
27–7.
In his first season, Flacco was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, NFL Rookie of the week, the NFLPA Rookie of the week, and NFL Rookie of the Month for November.
In the wild card round of the 2008–09 NFL playoffs, Flacco became only the third rookie quarterback in NFL history to win his first post-season start, and the first to do it on the road, when his Ravens defeated the Dolphins, 27–9. Flacco completed 9-of-23 attempted passes, accumulating 135 yards without throwing a touchdown or interception. He also scored the victory-sealing rushing touchdown on a quarterback draw in the 4th quarter. Shaun King
and Ben Roethlisberger
were previously the only other rookie quarterbacks to ever win their debut playoff game.
He then won his second game versus the Tennessee Titans
. Flacco led the Ravens to a 13–10 win in the divisional playoff round. Flacco made tight-window throws to Todd Heap
and Mark Clayton on the go ahead scoring drive in the 4th quarter to set up a game winning field goal from Matt Stover
. On the day Flacco was 11-of-22 for 148 yards and a touchdown, without turning the ball over for the second straight game. He is the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games.
Flacco made 13 of 30 pass attempts for 141 yards passing, was sacked three times, and intercepted three times in the 2009 AFC Championship Game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Flacco was awarded as the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year on January 29, 2009.
In the season opening game in Baltimore against the Kansas City Chiefs
, Joe Flacco led the Ravens to their first win of the season. He threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns, both career highs. He also threw one interception and had a quarterback rating of 95.8. During this game, the Ravens broke the franchise record for most offensive yards in a game with a total of 501.
In week 3 against the Cleveland Browns
, Flacco threw for a career-high 342 yards and accumulated a quarterback rating of 111.8 He also threw for one touchdown.
He then surpassed his own career high of 342 in week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings
, with 385 passing yards, though Baltimore lost the game by two points.
In week 15 against the Chicago Bears
, Flacco broke his personal record for most touchdowns thrown in a game with four, while notching 234 passing yards and completing 72 percent of his passes, earning him a career-high passer rating
of 135.6. The Ravens would go on to win the game 31-7.
With 3,613 yards and 21 touchdowns, Flacco became the first Ravens quarterback since Vinny Testaverde
to throw for over 3,000 yards and over 20 touchdowns in a single season.
After the season, Flacco was named to USA Today
's annual "All-Joe" team
for his quality play and lack of fanfare.
Flacco's injury limited his performance Wild Card Weekend against the Patriots. The Ravens routed the Patriots 33-14 despite Flacco throwing 4-10 for just 34 yards with one interception. The following week against the Colts, Flacco again performed poorly; thus, the Ravens lost 20-3.
In season opener, Flacco and the Ravens opened New Meadowlands Stadium
against the New York Jets
. Flacco threw for 248-yards while completing 52.6% of his passes, and throwing one interception. In a defensive contest, the Ravens came away with the 10-9 win over their former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan
.
In week two at the Cincinnati Bengals
, Flacco had arguably his worst NFL start of his young career, throwing for 154-yards while completing just 43.6% of his passes and throwing a career high 4 interceptions, while throwing one touchdown and accumulating a passer rating of 23.8.
Coming off of the worst start of his career, Flacco and the Ravens had their home opener against the Cleveland Browns
. Flacco bounced back from his week 3 loss to the Bengals and had his best game of the young season, throwing for 262-yards and completing 71% of his passes. He then hooked up with prized offseason acquisition wide receiver Anquan Boldin
for 3 touchdowns, while throwing no interceptions and accumulating a passer rating of 128.7. The Ravens would win the contest 24-17.
Going into week 4, Flacco had never won against the Pittsburgh Steelers
in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh was 3-0 boasting the leagues best defense but without franchise Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
due to suspension. Late in the game on a fourth and 1 play, the Ravens called a fade pass to Boldin in the endzone but the pass was overthrown. The Steelers got the ball back with two minutes and forty seconds left but were not able to keep possession for the rest of the game. The Ravens got the ball back and Joe Flacco embarked on the greatest drive of his young career. With a minute and 8 seconds left on the game clock, down 14-10, Flacco drove the Ravens 40 yards down the field and threw the game winning 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Flacco threw for 256-yards and a touchdown, while completing 65% of his passes and achieving a passer rating of 82.7 in the victory.
In a 2009 playoff rematch, the Ravens traveled to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots
. Flacco had a relatively good game throwing for 285-yards and 2 touchdowns while completing 77.1% of his passes and a passer rating of 119.3, but in a losing effort as the Patriots came back from losing 20-10 to win the game in overtime 23-20. After the game, the Ravens' offensive play calling was criticized for too many check down passes to Pro Bowl Running Back Ray Rice
and for being too conservative.
In week 7 the Ravens played the Buffalo Bills
at home. To start the game, the Bills unexpectedly scored 2 touchdowns, putting the Ravens in a 14-0 hole. But Flacco responded by throwing for 250-yards and 3 touchdowns, and the Ravens eventually won the game 37-34 in overtime. In this game, Flacco tallied over 8,000 passing yards for his career.
In week 9 coming off a much needed bye week, Flacco and the Ravens took on the Miami Dolphins in Baltimore. The Dolphins were an undefeated 4-0 on the road that season and the Ravens were 3-0 at home. Flacco threw for 266-yards and 2 touchdowns and a passer rating of 129.6, posting his third straight 100 point passer rating of the season and fourth overall. The Ravens won the game 26-10.
In week 12 at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, Flacco threw his 53rd career touchdown pass, becoming the Ravens all time leader in passing touchdowns.
On December 26, 2010, with a win against the Cleveland Browns, Flacco became one of only four NFL quarterbacks to lead his team to the playoffs in all three of his first three seasons. During this game, Flacco threw for over 10,000 career passing yards.
Ending the season, Flacco set season highs in passing yards (3,622), passing touchdowns (25), passer rating (93.6), and a season low in interceptions (10).
In defeating the Kansas City Chiefs
(30-7) in the wildcard round of the 2010–11 NFL playoffs
, Flacco completed 25 of 34 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions, for a post-season-high passer rating of 115.4. With the win, Flacco became the first quarterback in NFL history to start and win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons, and tied Len Dawson
, Roger Staubach
, Jake Delhomme
, and Mark Sanchez
for most career post-season road wins by a quarterback.
In the divisional round, Flacco and the Ravens would once again head to Pittsburgh to play their arch-rival Steelers. The difference this time would be the season was on the line. The Ravens got out to an early 21-7 lead after a 12-yard rush by running back Ray Rice
, a fumble recovery run back for a touchdown by defensive end Cory Redding
, and a four-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to tight end Todd Heap
. But in the third quarter, which the Ravens had been dominant in all of the regular season, Baltimore fell apart. The Ravens turned the ball over 3 times in their own territory with a uncharacteristic fumble by Rice, an interception by Flacco, and a fumbled snap by Center Matt Birk
, and with those the Steelers took a 31-24 lead. But even after all of the Ravens miscues and errors, the Ravens still had a shot to win it at the end when Flacco threw a dart to Houshmandzadeh, but it was dropped. Flacco finished the game 16 of 30 for 125-yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Shortly after the end of the 2010 season, the Ravens fired quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn
, to Flacco's dismay. This was just the start of the drastic changes that would be made in the 2011 offseason. On July 28, 2011, Flacco's leading receiver over his three professional years Derrick Mason was cut to clear cap space. Additionally, 2010 #3 and #4 receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Donté Stallworth were not re-signed, and longtime Ravens tight end Todd Heap
was cut and signed by the Arizona Cardinals
. Flacco was left with Anquan Boldin
and recently drafted rookies Torrey Smith
and Tandon Doss
sitting atop the wide receiver depth chart until the Ravens traded for Lee Evans
, a speedy target to take advantage of Flacco's arm strength. Second-year tight ends Ed Dickson
and Dennis Pitta
stepped in to replace the former Pro-Bowler Heap. Of the ten Ravens with a reception in the 2010-2011 season, only four returned for the 2011-2012 season, leaving Flacco with many new targets.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
18th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
, becoming the highest drafted player ever from the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
. He was also the first Division 1 FCS (formerly 1-AA) quarterback selected in the first round of the draft since Steve McNair
Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans....
went third overall to the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in the 1995 NFL Draft
1995 NFL Draft
The 1995 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1995 at the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City...
.
Baltimore Ravens
On July 16, he signed a five-year contract with a maximum value of around $30 million and $8.75 million guaranteed.Regular season
Due to a season-ending injury to incumbent starter Kyle Boller
Kyle Boller
Kyle Bryan Boller is an American football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at The University of California.Boller has also played for the St...
and an illness to former Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Troy Smith
Troy Smith
Troy James Smith is an American football quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State.Smith has also played for the San Francisco 49ers. He...
, Flacco became the starting quarterback in the 2008 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals
2008 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2008 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and their 41st overall season. The team finished the season with 4 wins, 11 losses, and 1 tie, and did not qualify for the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year.-Coaching changes:This season marked...
. Flacco completed 15 of 29 passes for 129 yards, his longest pass being a 15-yard play to Derrick Mason
Derrick Mason
Derrick James Mason is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.Mason has also played for the Baltimore Ravens where he...
. He threw no touchdowns and no interceptions in his debut, but he had a 38-yard rushing touchdown, which was the longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback in Ravens' franchise history. Flacco's touchdown put the Ravens up 17–3, and the team eventually won the game 17–10.
Flacco then led the Ravens to a 28–10 week 3 win over the Cleveland Browns
2008 Cleveland Browns season
The 2008 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 62nd season as a franchise and was the team's 58th season as a member of the National Football League. The Browns finished with a 4–12 record and failed to qualify for the playoffs. The season marked Romeo Crennel's fourth year as head coach of the...
(the week 2 game with the Texans
2008 Houston Texans season
The 2008 Houston Texans season was the 7th season for the team in the National Football League. Though the Texans lost their first four games of the season, they rallied and won five of their last six games, to finish with an 8–8 record for the second consecutive year.The 2008 season also marked...
was postponed due to Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
).
In a week 4 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 76th season in the National Football League . The season concluded with the team winning Super Bowl XLIII to become the first franchise in the NFL with six Super Bowl titles....
, Flacco played his first road game, his first Monday Night Football game and also threw his first professional touchdown pass on a three yard corner to tight end Daniel Wilcox
Daniel Wilcox
Daniel Wilcox is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He has played for the Baltimore Ravens, the New York Jets and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has played in the National Football League since 2001...
.
In a week 7 victory over the Miami Dolphins
2008 Miami Dolphins season
The 2008 Miami Dolphins season was the organization's 39th season in the National Football League and 43rd overall. During the regular season the Dolphins completed the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history, going from a 1–15 regular season record in 2007 to an 11–5 record in 2008...
, Flacco earned his first career road victory, throwing for over 230 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Through week 7, Flacco also maintained a completion percentage of 64.2, the tenth best in the NFL.
In a week 8 win over the Oakland Raiders
2008 Oakland Raiders season
The 2008 Oakland Raiders season was the team's forty-ninth season. The Raiders improved upon their 4–12 record from 2007. This was also the first time in four seasons that the team did not play both contestants from the previous Super Bowl, playing the New England Patriots, but not the New York...
, Flacco not only passed for a touchdown but also ran for one. Flacco also caught a 43 yard pass in a trick formation deemed the "Wildcat". Many analysts viewed this and the last game as the potential launching point into a career of success. After the week 8 win, head coach John Harbaugh announced that the "Suggs package", a two quarterback offense using Flacco and Troy Smith, would be part of the offense the rest of the season.
In a week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, he threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, for the Ravens' sixth win in their previous seven games. In that seven game stretch, he compiled a passer rating of 99.1, the best of any quarterbacks in that span.
In a week 16 win over the Dallas Cowboys
2008 Dallas Cowboys season
The 2008 Dallas Cowboys season was the 49th season for the team in the National Football League. The season was most noted for week 17, when the Cowboys were blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles 44–6, their worst loss since the 1985 Chicago Bears came to Texas Stadium and beat the Cowboys 44–0...
, he was 17-for-25 throwing 149 yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 96.9. In winning the game, he became the last quarterback to win at Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
as this was the last game ever played at Texas Stadium. This would also make him the second rookie quarterback ever to win at Texas Stadium, behind Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
.
In week 17, Flacco had a new personal best, 297 yards. He was 17-of-23 for a quarterback rating of 115.8 as the Baltimore Ravens routed the Jacksonville Jaguars
2008 Jacksonville Jaguars season
The 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars season was the 14th season for the team in the National Football League. The Jaguars failed to improve upon their 11–5 record from 2007 and did not make the playoffs, contrary to many preseason predictions.-2008 NFL Draft picks:...
27–7.
In his first season, Flacco was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, NFL Rookie of the week, the NFLPA Rookie of the week, and NFL Rookie of the Month for November.
Playoffs
In the wild card round of the 2008–09 NFL playoffs, Flacco became only the third rookie quarterback in NFL history to win his first post-season start, and the first to do it on the road, when his Ravens defeated the Dolphins, 27–9. Flacco completed 9-of-23 attempted passes, accumulating 135 yards without throwing a touchdown or interception. He also scored the victory-sealing rushing touchdown on a quarterback draw in the 4th quarter. Shaun King
Shaun King
Shaun Earl King is a former Tulane University and National Football League quarterback.-High School:King is a 1995 graduate of Gibbs High School .-College:...
and Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
were previously the only other rookie quarterbacks to ever win their debut playoff game.
He then won his second game versus the Tennessee Titans
2008 Tennessee Titans season
The 2008 Tennessee Titans season was the 49th season for the team in the National Football League, their twelfth in Tennessee, and their tenth as the Titans. Despite being expected by most sportswriters to finish third or even fourth in the AFC South, they compiled a 13–3 regular season record and...
. Flacco led the Ravens to a 13–10 win in the divisional playoff round. Flacco made tight-window throws to Todd Heap
Todd Heap
Todd Benjamin Heap is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State-Early years:At Mountain View High School, in Mesa, Arizona,...
and Mark Clayton on the go ahead scoring drive in the 4th quarter to set up a game winning field goal from Matt Stover
Matt Stover
John Matthew "Matt" Stover is a former American Football placekicker. As of the start of the 2009 NFL season, he was the third most accurate kicker in the history of the National Football League. He is of Greek origin. He has played for the New York Giants, the Cleveland Browns, and the Baltimore...
. On the day Flacco was 11-of-22 for 148 yards and a touchdown, without turning the ball over for the second straight game. He is the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games.
Flacco made 13 of 30 pass attempts for 141 yards passing, was sacked three times, and intercepted three times in the 2009 AFC Championship Game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Flacco was awarded as the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year on January 29, 2009.
Regular season
In the season opening game in Baltimore against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, Joe Flacco led the Ravens to their first win of the season. He threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns, both career highs. He also threw one interception and had a quarterback rating of 95.8. During this game, the Ravens broke the franchise record for most offensive yards in a game with a total of 501.
In week 3 against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Flacco threw for a career-high 342 yards and accumulated a quarterback rating of 111.8 He also threw for one touchdown.
He then surpassed his own career high of 342 in week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, with 385 passing yards, though Baltimore lost the game by two points.
In week 15 against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Flacco broke his personal record for most touchdowns thrown in a game with four, while notching 234 passing yards and completing 72 percent of his passes, earning him a career-high passer rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
of 135.6. The Ravens would go on to win the game 31-7.
With 3,613 yards and 21 touchdowns, Flacco became the first Ravens quarterback since Vinny Testaverde
Vinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
to throw for over 3,000 yards and over 20 touchdowns in a single season.
After the season, Flacco was named to USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
's annual "All-Joe" team
USA Today All-Joe Team
The USA Today All-Joe team is an annual selection of National Football League players and coaches deemed hard workers and over-achievers that may be overlooked by the biased media...
for his quality play and lack of fanfare.
Playoffs
Flacco's injury limited his performance Wild Card Weekend against the Patriots. The Ravens routed the Patriots 33-14 despite Flacco throwing 4-10 for just 34 yards with one interception. The following week against the Colts, Flacco again performed poorly; thus, the Ravens lost 20-3.
Regular season
In season opener, Flacco and the Ravens opened New Meadowlands Stadium
New Meadowlands Stadium
MetLife Stadium is a stadium in the New York City Metropolitan Area, part of the MetLife Sports Complex, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League and is adjacent to the site of the former Giants Stadium, which was home...
against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Flacco threw for 248-yards while completing 52.6% of his passes, and throwing one interception. In a defensive contest, the Ravens came away with the 10-9 win over their former defensive coordinator Rex Ryan
Rex Ryan
Rex Ryan is an American football head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League . After serving as an assistant coach for twenty-two years, Ryan attained his first head coaching job in the NFL with the Jets in 2009...
.
In week two at the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, Flacco had arguably his worst NFL start of his young career, throwing for 154-yards while completing just 43.6% of his passes and throwing a career high 4 interceptions, while throwing one touchdown and accumulating a passer rating of 23.8.
Coming off of the worst start of his career, Flacco and the Ravens had their home opener against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Flacco bounced back from his week 3 loss to the Bengals and had his best game of the young season, throwing for 262-yards and completing 71% of his passes. He then hooked up with prized offseason acquisition wide receiver Anquan Boldin
Anquan Boldin
-Arizona Cardinals:As a rookie Boldin set an NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie in his first game , tied Billy Sims for most yards from scrimmage by a rookie in his first game , and holds the NFL record for most receptions in the first 26 games of an NFL career...
for 3 touchdowns, while throwing no interceptions and accumulating a passer rating of 128.7. The Ravens would win the contest 24-17.
Going into week 4, Flacco had never won against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh was 3-0 boasting the leagues best defense but without franchise Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
due to suspension. Late in the game on a fourth and 1 play, the Ravens called a fade pass to Boldin in the endzone but the pass was overthrown. The Steelers got the ball back with two minutes and forty seconds left but were not able to keep possession for the rest of the game. The Ravens got the ball back and Joe Flacco embarked on the greatest drive of his young career. With a minute and 8 seconds left on the game clock, down 14-10, Flacco drove the Ravens 40 yards down the field and threw the game winning 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Flacco threw for 256-yards and a touchdown, while completing 65% of his passes and achieving a passer rating of 82.7 in the victory.
In a 2009 playoff rematch, the Ravens traveled to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. Flacco had a relatively good game throwing for 285-yards and 2 touchdowns while completing 77.1% of his passes and a passer rating of 119.3, but in a losing effort as the Patriots came back from losing 20-10 to win the game in overtime 23-20. After the game, the Ravens' offensive play calling was criticized for too many check down passes to Pro Bowl Running Back Ray Rice
Ray Rice
Raymell Maurice Rice is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. He is currently ranked as the Baltimore Ravens third all-time rusher in...
and for being too conservative.
In week 7 the Ravens played the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
at home. To start the game, the Bills unexpectedly scored 2 touchdowns, putting the Ravens in a 14-0 hole. But Flacco responded by throwing for 250-yards and 3 touchdowns, and the Ravens eventually won the game 37-34 in overtime. In this game, Flacco tallied over 8,000 passing yards for his career.
In week 9 coming off a much needed bye week, Flacco and the Ravens took on the Miami Dolphins in Baltimore. The Dolphins were an undefeated 4-0 on the road that season and the Ravens were 3-0 at home. Flacco threw for 266-yards and 2 touchdowns and a passer rating of 129.6, posting his third straight 100 point passer rating of the season and fourth overall. The Ravens won the game 26-10.
In week 12 at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, Flacco threw his 53rd career touchdown pass, becoming the Ravens all time leader in passing touchdowns.
On December 26, 2010, with a win against the Cleveland Browns, Flacco became one of only four NFL quarterbacks to lead his team to the playoffs in all three of his first three seasons. During this game, Flacco threw for over 10,000 career passing yards.
Ending the season, Flacco set season highs in passing yards (3,622), passing touchdowns (25), passer rating (93.6), and a season low in interceptions (10).
Playoffs
In defeating the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
(30-7) in the wildcard round of the 2010–11 NFL playoffs
2010–11 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2010 season began on January 8, 2011 and led up to Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas....
, Flacco completed 25 of 34 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions, for a post-season-high passer rating of 115.4. With the win, Flacco became the first quarterback in NFL history to start and win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons, and tied Len Dawson
Len Dawson
Leonard Ray "Len" "Lenny" Dawson is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who attended Purdue University and went on to play for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
, Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
, Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
, and Mark Sanchez
Mark Sanchez
Mark Travis John Sanchez is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft as the fifth overall selection by the Jets and the second quarterback taken overall...
for most career post-season road wins by a quarterback.
In the divisional round, Flacco and the Ravens would once again head to Pittsburgh to play their arch-rival Steelers. The difference this time would be the season was on the line. The Ravens got out to an early 21-7 lead after a 12-yard rush by running back Ray Rice
Ray Rice
Raymell Maurice Rice is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Rutgers. He is currently ranked as the Baltimore Ravens third all-time rusher in...
, a fumble recovery run back for a touchdown by defensive end Cory Redding
Cory Redding
Cory Bartholomew Redding is an American football defensive end for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, and a four-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to tight end Todd Heap
Todd Heap
Todd Benjamin Heap is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State-Early years:At Mountain View High School, in Mesa, Arizona,...
. But in the third quarter, which the Ravens had been dominant in all of the regular season, Baltimore fell apart. The Ravens turned the ball over 3 times in their own territory with a uncharacteristic fumble by Rice, an interception by Flacco, and a fumbled snap by Center Matt Birk
Matt Birk
Matthew Robert Birk is an American football center for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Harvard....
, and with those the Steelers took a 31-24 lead. But even after all of the Ravens miscues and errors, the Ravens still had a shot to win it at the end when Flacco threw a dart to Houshmandzadeh, but it was dropped. Flacco finished the game 16 of 30 for 125-yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Offseason
Shortly after the end of the 2010 season, the Ravens fired quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn
Jim Zorn
James Arthur "Jim" Zorn is an American quarterbacks coach in the National Football League. He was formerly the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens and now holds that same position with the Kansas City Chiefs...
, to Flacco's dismay. This was just the start of the drastic changes that would be made in the 2011 offseason. On July 28, 2011, Flacco's leading receiver over his three professional years Derrick Mason was cut to clear cap space. Additionally, 2010 #3 and #4 receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Donté Stallworth were not re-signed, and longtime Ravens tight end Todd Heap
Todd Heap
Todd Benjamin Heap is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State-Early years:At Mountain View High School, in Mesa, Arizona,...
was cut and signed by the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Flacco was left with Anquan Boldin
Anquan Boldin
-Arizona Cardinals:As a rookie Boldin set an NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie in his first game , tied Billy Sims for most yards from scrimmage by a rookie in his first game , and holds the NFL record for most receptions in the first 26 games of an NFL career...
and recently drafted rookies Torrey Smith
Torrey Smith
James Torrey Smith is an American wide receiver and kickoff returner in the National Football League. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2011 NFL Draft. Smith attended Stafford Senior High School in Stafford, Virginia, where he played basketball and football. He accepted a scholarship...
and Tandon Doss
Tandon Doss
Tandon Mic Doss is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. He played collegiately for Indiana University...
sitting atop the wide receiver depth chart until the Ravens traded for Lee Evans
Lee Evans (American football)
-Buffalo Bills:Evans was initially assigned the jersey number 84. Evans, as a reference to his full name, had always worn the number 3 in college, a number that was not allowed to be used in professional football for wide receivers...
, a speedy target to take advantage of Flacco's arm strength. Second-year tight ends Ed Dickson
Ed Dickson
Edward James Dickson is an American football tight end for the Baltimore Ravens football team. He attended Bellflower High School.-Early years:...
and Dennis Pitta
Dennis Pitta
-Baltimore Ravens:Pitta was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was signed to a three-year contract on June 21, 2010.-External links:**...
stepped in to replace the former Pro-Bowler Heap. Of the ten Ravens with a reception in the 2010-2011 season, only four returned for the 2011-2012 season, leaving Flacco with many new targets.
Regular season
| Regular Season | Passing | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Games started | Att | Comp | Pct | Yds | YPA | Lg | TD | Int | Rating | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD | Fum | Lost | |
| 2008 | Baltimore | 16 | 16 | 428 | 257 | 60% | 2,971 | 6.9 | 70 | 14 | 12 | 80.3 | 52 | 180 | 3.5 | 38 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 43.0 | 43 | 0 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2009 | Baltimore | 16 | 16 | 499 | 315 | 63.1% | 3,613 | 7.2 | 72 | 21 | 12 | 88.9 | 35 | 56 | 1.6 | 2 | |||||||||
| 2010 | Baltimore | 16 | 16 | 489 | 306 | 62.6% | 3,622 | 7.4 | 67 | 25 | 10 | 93.6 | 43 | 84 | 2.0 | 9 | |||||||||
| 2011 | Baltimore | 8 | 8 | 309 | 169 | 54.7% | 2,051 | 6.6 | 74 | 9 | 6 | 76.9 | 18 | 38 | 2.2 | 10 | 1 | 1 | -8 | -8 | -8 | 0 | 9 | 5 | |
Playoffs
| Playoffs | Passing | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Att | Comp | Pct | Yds | YPA | Lg | TD | Int | Rating | Att | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD | Fum | Lost | |
| 2008 | Baltimore | 3 | 75 | 33 | 44.0% | 437 | 5.8 | 48 | 1 | 3 | 50.8 | 12 | 5 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2009 | Baltimore | 2 | 45 | 24 | 53.3% | 223 | 4.96 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 39.4 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | Baltimore | 2 | 64 | 41 | 64.06% | 390 | 6.1 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 90.0 | 9 | 25 | 2.8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
NFL records
- First rookie quarterback to start all sixteen games and make the playoffs (along with Matt RyanMatt RyanMatt Ryan is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for Villacher SV of the Austrian Hockey League .-Playing career:...
) - First rookie quarterback to win two playoff games
- Most starts by a quarterback in first season: 19
- Most starts by a quarterback in first two seasons: 37
- Most starts by a quarterback in first three seasons: 55
- Most wins by a quarterback in first 60 consecutive starts: 40
- First quarterback to start and win a playoff game in each of his first three seasons
- Most combined regular and postseason wins in first three years as a quarterback: 36 (tied with Dan MarinoDan MarinoDaniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
) - Most playoff road wins: 4 (tied with Len DawsonLen DawsonLeonard Ray "Len" "Lenny" Dawson is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who attended Purdue University and went on to play for three professional teams, most notably the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs...
, Roger StaubachRoger StaubachRoger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
, Jake DelhommeJake DelhommeJake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
, and Mark SanchezMark SanchezMark Travis John Sanchez is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft as the fifth overall selection by the Jets and the second quarterback taken overall...
)
Endorsements
Flacco signed a three-year contract with ReebokReebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
as a rookie in 2008. Flacco also is working with Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
, which sells a product called "Flacco's Favorites".
Personal
Flacco's brother, Mike Flacco, was selected in the 31st round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft2009 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in New York City.The drafting order is as follows:-First-round selections:Key-Supplemental first-round selections:From Baseball America...
by the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, and is currently the starting 1st Baseman for the Frederick Keys
Frederick Keys
The Frederick Keys minor league baseball team is the "High-A" class A baseball affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for Star Spangled Banner poet Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. The team mascot is a coyote known as...
. He hit for a .250 average, with 5 hr's and 22 rbi's in 50 games with the Keys. The Keys went on to win the 2011 Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
championship. Another brother, John, is a walk-on receiver with the Stanford Cardinal
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
. Joe married his high school sweetheart Dana Grady on June 15, 2011.