MIAMI — Joe Flacco isn’t Dan Marino, but the Ravens’ quarterback made history on Sunday in a way the Dolphins’ Hall of Famer never did –or any other quarterback since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.
Flacco became the first rookie quarterback to win a road playoff game when the Ravens defeated the Dolphins, 27-9, in front of a Miami home playoff record-crowd of 74,240.
Flacco joins Ben Roethlisberger and Shaun King as rookie quarterbacks to win any playoff game. Roethlisberger won a home game for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005, and King won a home game for Tampa Bay in 2000.
“I’m not going out there and trying to just manage the football,” Flacco said. “I am going out there trying to make plays.”
Flacco’s unwavering confidence has helped him persevere through a roller coaster first season since being selected with the 18th overall pick in this past April’s NFL Draft. Through five games, Flacco had thrown seven interceptions and just one touchdown, as the Ravens were 2-3 and mired in a three-game losing streak.
Coincidentally, it was a regular season game at the Dolphins that turned his season around. Flacco completed 17-of-23 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown in a 27-13 victory on Oct. 19.
Teammates credit offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson for stressing to Flacco he must view himself as a leader –not a rookie who was playing against Towson and James Madison a year ago.
“His rookie season was over by the time we played the Dolphins the first time,” right tackle Willie Anderson said. “He had played the Steelers, Titans and Colts by that point. He had been in some hostile environments and made his mistakes. But in that first game against the Dolphins we saw him turn into a real leader. We saw everything he could be. One of the reasons I signed here was because Hue Jackson told me how special a player Joe was going to be.”
Receiver Derrick Mason said what impresses him the most about Flacco is his poise, even when he doesn’t have a great game. On Sunday, Flacco completed just 9-of-23 passes for 135 yards, but he still led the team on four offensive scoring drives. He also did not throw an interception and has thrown just five in his past 12 games.
“I’m impressed with his ability to have a short-term memory,” Mason said. “Some quarterbacks don’t have that, especially a young quarterback. They make a mistake and they think about that last play and don’t want to make another mistake. That’s no Joe. If he throws an interception, so be it. He’s trying to make a play when he does something like that, so he shrugs it off and gets back on the field.”
