Texans vs. Ravens: Joe Flacco Will Determine Baltimore's Fate vs. Houston

The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans both have dominant defenses. That's why Sunday's divisional round matchup may come down to who wins the turnover battle.

In that sense, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco‚—who has been inconsistent this season—will determine the Ravens' fate against the Texans.

Flacco has looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the league and one of the worst in all the same breath this season. In Baltimore's 12 wins, he averaged 239 passing yards per game and tossed 15 touchdowns to six interceptions. In their four losses, he averaged 203 passing yards per game and threw five touchdowns to six interceptions.

And it's not like Flacco played against top teams in the Ravens' losses. Under his leadership, the Ravens lost to the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers.

It is worth noting that the Ravens ranked near the top of the league in rushing attempts per game and around the middle of the league in passing attempts per game this season. Behind superstar running back Ray Rice, they don't exactly have to throw the ball a lot.

But they do still need to be a balanced team. Despite having Rice on their side this season, the Ravens averaged 23.6 points per game, which isn't an elite offense.

Behind the offseason acquisitions of cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning, the Texans allowed just 189.7 passing yards per game in the regular season, good for third in the NFL.

The Cleveland Browns, believe it or not, had the second-best pass defense in the NFL this season, and Flacco struggled against them in Week 13, going 10-of-23 for 158 yards.

Make no mistake about it, Flacco is going to have to bring his "A" game against the Texans on Sunday.

The question is, will he be ready?

I'll say this: he'll fare better against Houston than Texans rookie quarterback T.J. Yates will fare in Baltimore.