Is Joe Flacco getting pummeled in the pocket this season? When you look at the stats, that’s not really the case.
There’s no question the Baltimore Ravens offense had struggled this season. With the worst ranked passing game in the NFL, a lot of blame has come on starting quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco is on pace for one of the worst careers and ranks towards the bottom of just about every passing statistical category.
A lot of the blame hasn’t come just on Joe Flacco, but also the Ravens offensive line. Losing John Urschel, Nico Siragusa and Alex Lewis before the start of the season was devastating. Not to mention, Marshal Yanda’s injury in Week 2 was the kill shot. Now the Ravens have resorted to three former undrafted lineman to fill the void. It’s certainly not the game plan the Ravens came into the season, with but it’s the reality they’re left with.
But, does the blame just as much on the offensive line? I’m not so sure. Yes they’re hanging on by a thread, but Flacco has stayed relatively clean in the pocket this season when you look at the stats.
Stats:
Total QB hits: 16 (4th best in the NFL)
Pretty surprising here, but Flacco really hasn’t been hit too much in the pocket. Only the Titans, Raiders and Dolphins rank better in this category and I can tell you for a fact they all have better offensive lines than the Ravens do right now.
QB sacks allowed: 9 (14th best in the NFL)
Again, allowing just nine sacks through four games this season is good. Given what the Ravens have, I’m more than happy with that. They’ve come up against some very talented pass rushers and the ability to keep Flacco mostly upright has been impressive.
Time to throw: 2.5 (seventh fastest in NFL)
Not an everyday stat you’ll find, but this measures the average amount of time from the snap to the throw. Compared to most quarterbacks, Flacco is getting the ball out fast. Whether that’s equated for yards and touchdowns is a different story. I understand that this stat doesn’t always have to do with the pressure in the pocket, but you can see Flacco getting rid of the ball early, even when the play doesn’t necessarily call for it.
Is it a psychological thing?
If offensive line is keeping Flacco relatively clean in the pocket, what are the reasons for his struggles? I think a lot of it has to do with mind games.
Flacco is a 32-year old quarterback who is not even two-years off a torn ACL and came into this season dealing with a back injury. He’s certainly not playing 100% right now. I’m not using that as an excuse for his play, but from watching Flacco, it looks like he’s sensing pressure in the pocket even when it isn’t there.
There are plenty of play calls that force Flacco to throw the football quick out of the snap, but there are also times where he’s getting rid of the ball before the play even develops. Most of the time, that results in an incomplete pass or an interception like we’ve seen in each of the past 10 games. When you suffer those major injuries and take big hits in the pocket that’s what is going to happen.
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The bottom line
Both Flacco and the offensive line are to blame for the offenses’ early struggles, but I have to hold Flacco to a higher standard here. He’s the 10-year veteran and has to be more confident behind a make shift offensive line. It’s not the most ideal situation, but the Ravens have the ability to turn things around on the offensive side of the ball. Sunday’s game against the Raiders is an opportunity to do that and unless we see something change, the struggles are going to continue the rest of this season.