NFL Playoffs 2012: Joe Flacco Will Reinforce Perception That He Isn't Elite

At some point during the 2012 NFL Playoffs, the fate of the Ravens is going to rest on the right arm of Joe Flacco.

Whether it comes in the Divisional Round against the Steelers, in the AFC Championship against the Patriots or even in the Super Bowl against a team like the Packers or Saints, at some point Joe Flacco is going to need to prove he is a clutch, elite quarterback and can carry the Ravens to victory.

I don't believe he is capable of doing that.

Wait, you say—Flacco has orchestrated three game-winning drives this season.

Well, so have Colt McCoy and Matt Hasselbeck. And Tony Romo (four), Mark Sanchez (four), John Skelton (five), Alex Smith (five) and Tim Tebow (five) have all led more.

Okay, you're saying, he can only lead them to victory if the game is on the line late in the fourth quarter. Fair point, though it should be noted that Flacco could have had a fourth game-winning drive had he not thrown an interception on the team's final drive in a 12-7 loss to Jacksonville.

I know what you are going to say next. You're going to bring up the fact that Flacco and the Ravens were 6-0 in the regular season against teams that made the playoffs this year. You'll note here that the team beat the Steelers twice, and Flacco threw the game-winning touchdown to Torrey Smith with only eight seconds remaining in Week 9.

You know, I'm glad you brought up the Steelers. Remember last year when Flacco threw an interception and lost a fumble in the second half and the Ravens blew a 14-point lead in their Divisional Round loss to the Steelers?

Or how about Flacco's three interceptions against the Steelers in the 2009 AFC Championship Game?

Is Flacco's 4-3 record in the playoffs indicative of success or his inability to carry the Ravens in the postseason when the chips are down?

I say the latter. In those three losses, Flacco has six interceptions and quarterback ratings of 61.1, 48.4 and 18.2

He'll repeat that this year. I don't know which round Flacco will disappear in—I'm predicting it will be in the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots—but I don't feel confident in Flacco's chances at becoming elite this postseason.

Hit me up on the Twitter—all the cool kids are doing it.