Joe Flacco: How does he compare to the G.O.A.T?
A look at the numbers
Both Brady and Flacco had tremendous success in their first year as starters, with each winning precisely 11 games. In fact, during their first five years as starters, Tom Brady only won four more games than Flacco, compiling a 58-20 record to Flacco’s 54-26. They even had identical records in their second and fifth seasons as starters (9-7 and 10-6, respectively).
The similarities continue with individual stats as well. Let’s take a look at each QB’s third year in the league. Just for kicks, I’ll make it anonymous so we can play “guess that player:”
YEAR THREE AS A STARTER
COMP%
YDS
TD
INT
RATING
60.2
3620
23
12
85.9
62.6
3622
25
10
93.6
Give up? You knew what was coming, didn’t you? That’s right, “Player A” is Tom Brady and “Player B” is Joe Flacco. Similar numbers, but Flacco’s are superior in every category.
Here’s a comparison of their season averages after their first five seasons as starters:
FIRST FIVE SEASONS AS STARTERS
RECORD
COMP%
YDS
TD
INT
RATING
58-20
61.9
3,606
25
13
88.5
54-26
60.5
3,527
20
11
86.3
Pretty similar, right?
So what happened? How could two QBs with such similar numbers have gone in two completely different directions in their careers? Let’s start with the Ravens’ 2013 championship.
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In the 2012-2013 NFL season, the Ravens won the AFC North with a 10-6 record and were the fourth seed in the playoffs. This meant they had to go through the Indianapolis Colts (with a young and exciting Andrew Luck), then narrowly beating Peyton Manning‘s record-setting Denver Broncos team, to face number two seed New England in the AFC Championship game, which they won.
Isn’t that crazy? Joe Flacco bested both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the 2012 playoffs, both who are surefire Hall of Famers.
John Harbaugh and the Ravens then faced his brother Jim and the 49ers in a Super Bowl infamous for losing power during the game. The game came down to the final minutes with San Francisco mounting a furious comeback after the power outage. Ultimately, as we know, the Ravens proved successful. Joe Flacco was named MVP after completing 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards three touchdowns.
Lucky for Joe Flacco, he was a free agent after the season. The Ravens had no choice but to give their everyman quarterback a huge payday, signing him to a six-year, $120+ million contract with a $29 million signing bonus. That $20 million per year figure actually looks like a bargain for a Super Bowl MVP QB by today’s standards.