Ravens vs. Patriots: Joe Flacco Must Exploit Weak New England Secondary

Joe Flacco must take his game to the next level if the Baltimore Ravens are going to knock off the New England Patriots. The Patriots secondary was atrocious during the regular season, which means Flacco has no excuse for a poor performance.

Flacco made steady improvement during his first three seasons in the NFL, but took a big step in the wrong direction this year. His quarterback rating dropped back to his rookie level and he became a lot more cautious as if he was afraid to take any chances.

The struggles were overlooked, mostly because the Ravens kept winning despite Flacco's lack of involvement. That won't be the case if he lays an egg against the Patriots.

New England's main goal on defense is going to be shutting down Ray Rice. That means there should be plenty of space in the secondary for Flacco to attack. He must take full advantage of those passing lanes if the Ravens are going to keep up with the Patriots.

Bill Belichick hasn't been able to fix the many issues with the New England secondary as evidenced by his team's 294 passing yards allowed per game. They also allowed 26 TD passes, which ranked near the bottom of the league as well.

Ray Lewis and Co. are going to do their job on defense as they always do. So, the game will be decided by Flacco's right arm and his ability to take advantage of those aforementioned stats.

He has no shortage of weapons in his arsenal to make it happen.

Anquan Boldin looked better against the Houston Texans than he has in a long time. He's never had elite speed, but the physical dominance went missing for awhile and made him a rather mundane option. Apparently the playoff atmosphere brought back the intensity.

Then there's Flacco's resident deep threat, Torrey Smith. He was kept under wraps by the Texans, but New England doesn't have a corner as good as Johnathan Joseph to slow him down.

Even though this game will be dissected in a million different ways between now and kickoff, it really comes down to one thing: Flacco. If he's able to shred the Patriots defense, the Ravens will win. If he shrivels under the pressure, they'll lose.

That's a lot of pressure for a young player, but now's the time for him to step up and prove he can be a Super Bowl quarterback.