How Can Joe Flacco Keep Dominant Playoff Streak Alive?

"Joe Flacco, what can you say. He's the best quarterback in football. We'll take him any day of the week, twice on Sunday or Saturday if that be the case," said Flacco's coach, John Harbaugh, in a postgame press conference after the Baltimore Ravens' Wild Card Round dispatching of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.

While it's debatable whether Flacco truly is the game's best overall quarterback, right now, it's not debatable that he is the NFL's best active playoff quarterback. There is simply none better.

The Ravens have played 14 postseason games with Flacco under center, winning 10 and losing four. Flacco has thrown 166 consecutive playoff passes with no interceptions—and 13 touchdowns. In eight of his 14 playoff appearances, he has had a quarterback rating of 95.0 or better.

His postseason prowess was again on display against Pittsburgh. Flacco completed 18 of 29 passes for 259 yards, two touchdowns and, of course, no picks. He had a passer rating of 114.0.

Date	Opponent	Outcome	Atts.	Comp.	Comp.%	Yds.	TD	INT	Rat.
1/6/13	vs. IND	W, 24-9	23	12	52.17%	282	2	0	125.6
1/12/13	@ DEN	W, 38-35	34	18	52.94%	331	3	0	116.2
1/20/13	@ NE	W, 28-13	36	21	58.33%	240	3	0	106.2
2/3/13	N SF	W, 34-31	33	22	66.67%	287	3	0	124.2
1/3/15	@ PIT	W, 30-17	29	18	62.07%	259	2	0	114.0
Total		5-0	155	91	58.17%	1,399	13	0	117.2

It's hard to speculate why Flacco has had such postseason success as a passer—especially in his team's last playoff run and into this most recent one. Personnel hasn't changed from regular season to postseason. Coaches haven't changed (though play-calling duties were switched from Cam Cameron to Jim Caldwell months before Flacco's Super Bowl win). 

Perhaps it is Flacco who changes. Maybe Flacco, who is no stranger to clutch performances in the regular season, taps into that well more deeply when the Super Bowl is at stake. He certainly rises to the occasion more than his peers, even quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, who are Hall of Fame locks.

But for the Ravens to recreate the magic of their Super Bowl win two years ago, Flacco must keep it up. And the keys to Flacco's continuing success lie as much in his own hands as it does in his teammates'.

It starts, of course, with the offensive line keeping him protected. The Steelers sacked Flacco only once and hit him four times. This is in line with Flacco's regular-season sack total of 19, the lowest of his career. 

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The Ravens' line has been retooled in the past few weeks, with injuries forcing right guard Marshal Yanda to right tackle, James Hurst to left tackle and John Urschel to right guard. That was a liability in the Ravens' final two regular-season games, with Flacco looking hurried and out of sorts while the line struggled to keep pressure away.

It is unknown whether Monroe will be ready to play on Saturday, but the right tackle position may continue to be Yanda's, with Rick Wagner placed on injured reserve near the end of the season. But, whether for reasons of improved chemistry on the line or Flacco simply feeling more confident as a passer, this line change is no longer a detriment to Baltimore's passing offense.

It continues with the receiving corps. Steve Smith Sr., who had four games with 100 or more receiving yards in Baltimore's first six games, disappeared down the stretch. However, he was Flacco's most productive target against the Steelers, with five catches on seven targets for 101 yards. 

Smith Sr., like Flacco, has a deeply competitive streak (to put it mildly). If there is any receiver on the Ravens roster who can match Flacco's postseason intensity, it's him. If he can continue to make his presence felt against the New England Patriots (and potentially beyond), Flacco's day becomes exponentially easier.

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Not to be forgotten are receiver Torrey Smith and tight end Owen Daniels. Smith isn't known for catching many passes thrown his way—he caught just 49 of 93 regular-season targets for 767 yards and brought down just two of six against the Steelers. However, he is posting a career-high in touchdowns this season, with 11 in the regular season and another against Pittsburgh.

Daniels' role is simple—be reliable and move the chains. He's taken up that task this year, catching 49 of 79 passes thrown his way for 527 yards and accounting for 32 first downs. He's averaging 11 yards per reception, more than the 7.8 yards per reception of fellow tight end Dennis Pitta, whom Daniels has had to replace after Pitta again dislocated and fractured his hip.

Beyond the Big Three, however, Flacco has a number of younger receivers to whom he can spread the ball. There is 2014 seventh-round draft pick Michael Campanaro as well as Marlon Brown and Kamar Aiken. Aiken in particular has proved himself a useful outlet for Flacco as the season has progressed, with 24 catches on 32 regular-season targets.

And there is also running back Justin Forsett, who helps Flacco in three crucial ways: As a running back, a receiver and a pass-blocker.

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Forsett rushed 135 times in the regular season for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns and led the Ravens in first downs with 56. He also caught 44 of 59 passes thrown to him for 263 yards and 10 more first downs.

Forsett is a productive enough back that defenses must account for him, even when he's not having very much success, such as his 16 carries against Pittsburgh that netted just 36 yards. He must be accounted for, which means the Ravens can better disguise their intentions, be it a run play or a pass.

And because Forsett is also an asset as a receiver, defenses cannot assume that Forsett's presence on the field guarantees a running play.

But Forsett's talents as a pass-protector cannot be minimized. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Forsett played 118 regular-season snaps in pass protection or 28.0 percent of all passing plays in which he was on the field. He gave up only one sack, one hit and seven hurries, or nine total pressures, in those 118 snaps. Only 11 running backs ranked better as pass-blockers.

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For Flacco's hot playoff streak to stay alive, his line, receivers and running backs need to continue to help him out. One breakdown in protection can lead to a drive-killing sack. One dropped pass could mean the difference between a touchdown and a win and a punt and a loss. One Forsett fumble picked up by the opposition could change the entire tenor of the game.

But Flacco needs more than just the offensive players around him to match his high level of play. He also needs his defense to give him help by getting opposing offenses off the field quickly and without scoring. So far, they've held up their end of the bargain.

The Ravens defense came into the playoffs with one of the best front sevens but also one of the more questionable secondaries, owing to five defensive backs being placed on injured reserve over the course of the season. It boasted 49 sacks—but also 54 passing plays that went 20 or more yards and 22 passing touchdowns to 11 interceptions.

For this defense to continue to succeed in the playoffs against some of the league's most formidable offenses, that front seven must be the force that bails out the secondary. It worked against the Steelers—Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked five times, and that pressure assisted in his throwing two picks.

Stat	Value	Rank
Opp. YPG	339.9	11th
Opp. Pass YPG	252.8	25th
Opp. Rush YPG	87.1	4th
Opp. PPG	18.8	5th
Opp. TD/G	1.8	4th
Opp. RZ TD %	42.11%	2nd
BAL Sacks/G	3.2	2nd

Further, though the defense gave up 334 passing yards to Roethlisberger (and 356 receiving yards), the ability for offenses to move the ball against it dries up when it matters most—in the red zone. The Steelers scored only once on their three red-zone attempts, which lines up to how Baltimore's defense has been performing all year.

The Ravens allow just 18.8 points per game, 1.8 touchdowns per game and six points on a scant 42.11 percent of opponents' red-zone attempts. The defense also allows 87.1 rushing yards per game. So while the Ravens may rank 25th in passing yards per game allowed, their nature is a bend-but-don't-break one. They will give up passing yards, yes, but far more often than not it won't result in a touchdown. 

So while Flacco's warrior mentality is clearly a driving force behind his postseason success, it is but one component. It's hard for a quarterback alone to carry an entire team to playoff wins, up to and including the Super Bowl. He needs playmaking receivers, a stable run game, protection from the pass rush and a defense that can regularly keep points off the board.

Those are the common threads between the Ravens' last Super Bowl run and the one they are currently in the midst of. Flacco being mistake-free in the playoffs has been terribly important to his team. He is the best postseason quarterback of his era. But he couldn't do it without his teammates also playing up to the standard he has set. 

Flacco has been here before. He knows what it takes to pull off a flawless postseason performance. And if he can keep it up with a good dose of help from the players around him, on both offense and defense, another Ravens Super Bowl victory is within reach.