Joe Flacco Proving Incapable of Carrying Baltimore Ravens Offense
In Week 4, Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns while completing 22 of 31 pass attempts. Although the opposition, the Carolina Panthers, proved to be poor on the day, Flacco's play still proved to be exceptional.
The same cannot be said about Flacco's performance in Week 5.
Against the Indianapolis Colts, the 29-year-old quarterback completed just 22 of 38 pass attempts, while throwing for 235 yards and one interception in a seven-point loss. Flacco couldn't make key plays in the second half when the Ravens needed him to, but he can't carry all of the blame.
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Unlike in Week 4, the Ravens offense as a whole appeared to be overmatched. The Colts defense was consistently getting pressure, often by targeting Eugene Monroe's replacement at left tackle, James Hurst, and the coverage on the back end appeared to be tight.
This was a much greater issue in the first half than the second.
Flacco's very first pass of the game was a sign of what was to come in the first half. The former Super Bowl MVP threw an accurate, on-time pass to Steve Smith over the middle of the field on a shallow curl route. Smith caught the ball but fumbled possession away before getting to the ground.
When the offense did get into scoring position, it came up short on fourth down.
John Harbaugh decided to go for it in the red zone and sent his offense out in a tight formation. The Colts reacted as defenses typically do, by crowding the line of scrimmage and setting themselves up to stop a run up the middle.
It should be noted that the Colts weren't completely selling out to stop the run though.
When Flacco gets to the top of his drop, pressure is immediately coming from his blind side. The defender to that side got a great jump at the snap and immediately beat his blocker. Flacco needs a quick option to throw the ball to. But his two outside receivers are covered, and his option over the middle of the field fell down.
Flacco is forced to hold on to the ball, and he is eventually taken down by the incoming blindside rusher.
Despite the size of his contract, Flacco isn't the type of quarterback who is capable of covering flaws around him. He has the arm strength and mobility to extend plays and find receivers down the field, but he is not a great athlete overall. He also doesn't have the precise accuracy or quick thought process of a great pocket passer.
He definitely wasn't the Ravens' biggest issue in the first half and played well enough to be excused to an extent, but that changed in the third quarter.
The Ravens' first drive of the third quarter ended with an interception close to midfield. The Colts blitzed Flacco because it was 3rd-and-11, but the Ravens offensive line was able to pick it up. Flacco had time in the pocket to read the defense and find a receiver before stepping into his throw.
No outside influence rushed Flacco's actions. If he didn't like where he was throwing the ball, he had the option to turn to the other side of the field or even leave the pocket into the opposite flat.
Instead of doing either of those things, Flacco forced a ball to his first receiver who was double-covered. Flacco threw the ball directly to Vontae Davis, who was running underneath the deep in route with safety help over the top.
On the other side of the field, the receivers had one-on-one coverage because of the routes they ran.
Flacco didn't lead the deep safety to that side of the field; the safety moved there by design at the snap. Because Flacco never recognized that, he never expected the cornerback to be so aggressive underneath on the deep route.
This was a terrible decision, and it was followed up by a bad decision that ended the next drive in the third quarter.
On this play, a 3rd-and-4, the defense comes out showing press coverage across the field, and the Ravens have no running back threat in the backfield next to Flacco. Before the snap, the Ravens motion a running back who initially lined up as a receiver to the left into a tight end spot on the right of the offense.
When that back moves, he is trailed by a defensive back across the field. That suggests that the defense is playing man coverage.
If this decision by Flacco was ever going to be a good one, he needed to get rid of the ball more quickly and lead his receiver toward the sideline with a faster pass. By lofting it inside of him, he hung his receiver out for the defensive back to arrive and hit him close to the line of scrimmage.
Furthermore, the quick decision negated the routes of Torrey Smith, a slant from the slot, and Owen Daniels, an out from the tight end spot, that appeared to be more likely to get a first down.
On a number of occasions in this game, Flacco predetermined where he was going with the ball at the snap. Sometimes quarterbacks can get away with doing this based on reading the defense before the snap, but Flacco wasn't making good decisions when he did it.
After throwing an interception and throwing a pass that led to a punt, Flacco was fortunate not to be intercepted on the third drive of the second half.
Once again, Flacco predetermines where he is going to throw the ball before the snap. He stares down Steve Smith as he runs a deep curl route. Smith is open if Flacco throws the ball low and slightly behind him to lead him away from the incoming defender.
Instead, Flacco's pass goes in the opposite direction. It is high and too far ahead of him.
Smith's awareness to tip the ball away prevented the Colts defender from breaking on the ball. If Smith hadn't had the awareness to tip the ball away, the Colts would have set up their offense in Ravens territory at a crucial point of the game.
The Ravens' only touchdown drive of the game came at the start of the fourth quarter.
The two most important plays on that drive were a defensive pass interference against Vontae Davis that was worth 25 yards and a 30-yard reception by Jacoby Jones that was largely a result of Jones' ability to create yards after the catch opposed to Flacco's involvement.
When Justin Forsett scored, the Ravens were within touching distance of the Colts.
An Ahmad Bradshaw fumble gave the Ravens the ball back with 01:49 left in the game. Flacco was still dealing with a dysfunctional offense around him for the most part, but he was unable to find Torrey Smith down by the goal line on a difficult throw at the most important point of the game.
Flacco had extended the play into the flat and showed off his arm strength by throwing the ball a huge distance down the field across his body. Yet, when Smith was open, the ball arrived roughly five yards away from him.
It's hard to be optimistic about the Baltimore Ravens offense moving forward.
Getting Eugene Monroe back will massively improve the offensive line. But Monroe was initially expected to miss three to four weeks, so he may not be back for the next game. Flacco is clearly still a quarterback who can be effective in the right situation; he has shown that on numerous occasions this season.
He just isn't developing into a player who can elevate his teammates consistently, and at this stage of his career, it's unlikely that he ever will.
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