It’s the Ravens’ Joe Flacco, the rookie who has a 99.1 rating collectively the past seven games, in which the Ravens have gone 6-1 to become surprising playoff contenders.

“When he has a chance to make a big play, he’s making it,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “He’s got a big arm. I like what he does.”

Flacco, who has thrown for 1,432 yards with 11 touchdowns against only two interceptions during that span, has the Ravens (8-4) a game behind Pittsburgh (9-3) in the AFC North Division entering Sunday night’s game at 8:15 against the Redskins (7-5) at M&T Bank Stadium on NBC.

“They’re a team that likes to load the box and put as many people as they can down in there, and man up everybody on the outside,” said Flacco, who threw seven interceptions against just one touchdown through the season’s first five games. “They feel like they can do that, and we feel like we’re going to be able to take advantage of that with our receivers.”

The Redskins have been successful with their aggressive defensive philosophy so far this season, as they rank seventh in total defense, yielding an average of 283 yards and 18.5 points per game. The unit’s strength has been its pass defense, which has made 11 interceptions and allows an average of just 192.2 yards per game through the air. Washington’s secondary has been bolstered by rookie safety Chris Horton (63 tackles, three interceptions) and midseason acquisition DeAngelo Hall (two interceptions).

“They have confidence in their guys’ ability to cover,” Ravens receiver Derrick Mason said. “They give their guys outside the opportunity to cover down, man-to-man. Whether it’s soft, press or whatever, their guys have been able to do a great job at that.”

But Mason and receiver Mark Clayton have emerged as formidable weapons for Flacco.

Mason leads the team with 62 catches for 811 yards and three touchdowns and Clayton has 28 catches for 475 yards with three touchdowns, including a career-high 164 yards and a touchdown last week.

The duo’s play is a huge reason for Flacco completing 61 percent of his passes for 2,276 yards with 12 touchdowns against nine interceptions and earning the NFL’s Rookie of the Month award for November.

“They’ve got a lot on the line, and so do we because we’re both still in the hunt for a place in the playoffs as well as the division,” Mason said. “It’s going to be a playoff-type atmosphere. If it’s not, a lot of people will be disappointed.”