AFC Championship Game 2012: Joe Flacco Will Determine Ravens' Super Bowl Fate

More so than any position in the world of sports, the role of NFL quarterback holds the fate of his team in his hands. 

And just as you'd expect, the team who wins the AFC Championship Game on Sunday between the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots will have the quarterback who makes the biggest impact.

While we all know exactly what Tom Brady offers on a given postseason weekend, the same can't be said for his counterpart Sunday—Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco.

How Flacco ultimately plays in Foxboro will decide if the Ravens are able to appear in their second-ever Super Bowl, and there's a growing consensus that believes Flacco isn't capable of doing that.

As Nick Kostos tweeted earlier today, Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster John Madden doesn't think that Flacco is capable of going to New England and beating the Patriots.

Pro Football Weekly's Eric Edholm tweeted how former 49ers quarterback Steve Young said in a conference call that Flacco "doesn't get the support he needs because of the way the Ravens are set up as a team."

Essentially, Young was stating that the Ravens treat Flacco like a game manager first, quarterback second.

All the while, Flacco has been adamant in defending himself to the media during these playoffs about his role on this Ravens team.

This tweet came from ESPN's Trey Wingo on Flacco last week before the Ravens-Texans divisional round matchup:

What does it all mean?

Flacco has pleaded and pleaded for respect, but he's forgetting the one easy way to obtain it—play better. Now, against the NFL's 31st-ranked pass defense, Flacco has a grand opportunity staring him right in the face.

For the Ravens to knock off the favored Patriots on the road—something they are capable of doing again, as they did in 2010—Flacco has to take advantage of New England's 31st-ranked passing defense. Even average quarterbacks have had their way with the Patriots' pass D, and it's time for Flacco to assert himself as the reason for a Ravens win—not in spite of him. 

If he can walk off the field Sunday as a winner, the disrespect will stop and the praise will begin. It's a simple equation for Joe Flacco.