By his own admission, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco said he “sucked” against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in a 26-9 loss.
“I wasn’t good enough to get us back to get in the game,” Flacco said.
It was another performance where the Ravens offense struggled and Flacco took the majority of the blame.
Flacco, who led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win after the 2012 season, has never put up elite statistics, but he’s always been a dependable starter and a guy who, when he gets hot, can be among the league’s best.
This season he’s not even in that discussion.
After four games, the veteran is statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL.
Flacco ranks near the bottom of the league in the following categories:
— Yards per game: 32nd (150 yards per game)
— QB rating: 31st (65)
— Yards per attempt: 32nd (5.09 per pass)
— Interceptions: 2nd (6)
— QBR: 30th (25.8)
There’s also this:
Of Ravens’ 48 offensive drives this year (not counting kneel down at end of Browns game), 22 of them have lasted three plays or less.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiecsun) October 2, 2017
Yikes.
The Ravens still have time to improve and stats aren’t everything. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday the Ravens have to do a better job of protecting Flacco, who has constantly faced pressure from opposing defenses.
If things get worse, Baltimore could always bench Flacco, but that’s unlikely considering his backup and his contract.
Ryan Mallett isn’t an upgrade over Flacco and struggled as a starter for the Houston Texans. The Ravens are also unlikely to revisit signing Colin Kaepernick, who was floated as a possible option in training camp when Flacco was out with a back injury.
Flacco signed a three-year contract extension in 2016 worth $66.4 million ($44 million guaranteed).
Baltimore’s offense has been among the league’s worst through the first quarter of the season. It’s fair to look at Flacco’s performance.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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