NFL Playoff Predictions: Joe Flacco and QBs That Will Flop on Playoff Stage

The NFL playoffs are going to feature a strong mixture of quarterbacks that have proven themselves to be the best in the league and others that are still trying to show everyone that they need to be taken seriously. The problem is that not all players are created equally. 

We know what players like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees are going to do because we have seen them win Super Bowls and put up unbelievable numbers that make the game look so much easier than it really is. 

But who are the quarterbacks that are going to fall flat on their faces? The playoffs are a different stage than the regular season. There are no "gimme games" against bottom-feeders. You are playing the best of the best, and not everyone is capable of succeeding under that kind of pressure. 

Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

The fact that the Ravens have won 11 games with a mediocre quarterback is a testament to their strong running game and ageless defense. But the playoffs are all about what happens under center, and Flacco has done nothing to earn the trust of his teammates. 

His numbers this year don't look that bad at first glance—3,480 yards and 19 touchdowns—but he has had no consistency at all. He has thrown at least one interception in 10 games and had a quarterback rating under 70 five times. 

In the Ravens' first playoff game—whether it is next week or the week after—he is going to have to prove himself as a reliable player. You can forgive me if I don't think it is going to happen. 

Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers

Some will say that Smith is like Flacco, from the standpoint that the team is winning a lot of games, but he is not the reason they are successful. While there is some merit to that, I would rather have Smith right now. 

That being said, I am still skeptical of him in the playoffs. He has been successful largely because the 49ers have been able to control the pace of almost every game they play, and they haven't been forced to throw the ball. 

When the playoffs start, Smith is going to have to make plays. As a 49ers fan, nothing would thrill me more than for him to prove me wrong. But until I see him have that one dominant game, I am not going to believe it. 

T.J. Yates, Houston Texans

This one is almost too easy, but it still has to be said. 

Yates' job with this team has been to do nothing more than manage a game, and to not screw things up for the running game. He hasn't even been able to do that, which is giving Texans' fans a lot to worry about as the franchise heads toward its first playoff game next weekend. 

Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos

I am not making this prediction as some kind of statement against Tebow. On the contrary, I would like to see him succeed because he is a great spokesman for the NFL. 

But if the Broncos are able to get into the playoffs, which they will do with a win or an Oakland loss, they are going to be matched up with either the Ravens or Steelers, whichever team doesn't win the AFC North. Those two defenses would eat Tebow alive. 

There will be no "Tebow Magic" in the postseason, but at least they were able to be relevant for far longer this year than anyone could have imagined. 

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