Texans vs. Ravens: Joe Flacco Will Crumble Under Playoff Pressure

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has had great success in the postseason throughout his career already. He has been at the helm of four playoff victories in the last three years, but today he will be at the mercy of the Houston Texans' bruising defense. 

Flacco has taken a lot of criticism this year for his inconsistent play, but it is hard to overlook the fact that the Ravens were able to win 12 games and earn the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Some would argue that he deserves some credit for the team's success. 

Seeing the way that the Ravens play, it is obvious that they are winning in spite of what Flacco has done. He has been cool under pressure in the postseason, but all that will change because he has changed. 

Flacco has actually spoken out this week about his frustration with the media and its portrayal of the way he has played this year. 

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“If you look at the teams that won, you can look at the quarterbacks, but that’s just because you guys, ESPN, want to pump them up as being the best quarterback that year,’’ he said. “It’s really going to come down to what team is the best. I’m sure if we win, I’ll have nothing to do with why we won, not according to you guys. So, it is what it is. We’re going to go and we’re going to do our best to try and win it, and it doesn’t really matter what the reason is.’’

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There is a reason that Flacco isn't getting the hype that he feels he deserves: He hasn't earned it. Look at his numbers this year, and it is obvious that he isn't the same quarterback he was in his first three years. 

He tied his career-high in interceptions (12), had his lowest completion percentage (57.6) and yards per attempt average (6.66) of his career. 

In addition to that, he had four games where his completion percentage was below 50 percent. 

Flacco's desire for respect that he hasn't earned is going to be his undoing against the Texans. They can match the Ravens player for player on defense and have an offense that understands it doesn't have to throw the ball to win the game. 

Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has tried to give Flacco the opportunity to shine this season, allowing him to throw the ball more than he should, which has crippled the offense. Ray Rice needs to be the one to lead this team, and he gets lost in the shuffle too many times. 

The Texans are going to attack Flacco and force him into making mistakes, and the Ravens will not be able to stop Arian Foster, Ben Tate and Andre Johnson.

This will be the first year of Flacco's career that he doesn't win a postseason game, because, frankly, he isn't good enough this year. 

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