Ebony Bird
FanSided

Baltimore Ravens: 3 players vital to beating Dolphins

By Dustin Cox

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 4: Quarterback Joe Flacco
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 4: Quarterback Joe Flacco /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 22: Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens drops back to pass the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings on October 22, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 22: Joe Flacco #5 of the Baltimore Ravens drops back to pass the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Minnesota Vikings on October 22, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /

Joe Flacco

It was tempting for me to choose any WR not named Jeremy Maclin or Mike Wallace, but in the end, this offense will only go as far as franchise QB Joe Flacco. Sure, Flacco hasn’t been aided much this year, and what little help he did have is now injured, but there’s no sugar-coating the fact that he has played quite awful at times. It’s hard to believe you are watching a 10 year, Super Bowl MVP, franchise quarterback sometimes this season. Flacco is the highest paid player on the team and he is not living up to that paycheck at all. The Ravens need better play from Joe and that’s the bottom line.

The Ravens top three receivers, Mike Wallace, Jeremy Maclin, and Breshad Perriman have all missed time with injuries and are in jeopardy of missing Thursday night’s game as well. This leaves Flacco with a group of nobodies (to put it bluntly) to throw to. While this can be used as a valid excuse, it’s time to stop making them for Flacco. He must live up to his paycheck and be the quarterback we know he is capable of being.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: 5 players to build the future around

A truly good (dare I say elite) quarterback elevates the play of the players around them. Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees can still find success with anybody lining up at receiver for them. Joe Flacco, of course, isn’t nearly as good as these quarterbacks, but he is certainly paid like it. Last year, Flacco had his best game of the season against the Miami Dolphins, and hopefully, he can have his best game on Thursday night.  The Ravens don’t need Joe to be elite, they just need him to be good enough.

Home/Ravens News