Ravens vs. Patriots: Joe Flacco Will Doom Ravens in AFC Championship Game

Joe Flacco is one of the most accomplished young quarterbacks in NFL history, but his limitations will once again doom the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game.

In 2009, Flacco's poor play in the conference title game cost the Ravens a shot at the Super Bowl. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes and was intercepted three times in Baltimore's 23-14 loss to Pittsburgh.

Flacco often gets a pass for that game because it was his rookie season. However, I'm expecting him to struggle this year as well.

In some respects, Flacco has actually regressed since his rookie campaign. His 57.6 completion percentage this season was the worst of his career and his 12 interceptions matched a career high.

That's good news for the New England Patriots defense, who had 23 interceptions during the regular season. Only the Green Bay Packers picked off more passes.

Although Baltimore has an elite defense, they will undoubtedly surrender a few touchdowns to Tom Brady and the scorching Patriots offense. New England is averaging 37.3 points per game during their current nine game winning streak and nobody—not even the Ravens—will be able to keep them out of the end zone at this point.

That means that Flacco will have to make several big plays to keep up. He has a cannon for an arm and throws a gorgeous ball, but his decision-making is just awful. Bill Belichick's defense will bait him into taking risks and make him pay when he forces ill-advised throws.

Flacco is incredibly talented and has a bright future in this league. Unfortunately for Baltimore, he isn't ready to lead a team to the Super Bowl just yet.