Posted Dec 21, 2013
Ryan MinkBaltimoreRavens.com Staff Writer@Ravens All Ryan Mink ArticlesBoth quarterbacks are clutch and both win. But Flacco has typically bested Brady.
Tom Brady is the “consummate NFL quarterback,” in the words of Head Coach John Harbaugh this week.
That might explain why Harbaugh likes his own guy Joe Flacco
so much too. While few outside observers may not put Flacco and Brady in the same category, they actually share a lot of likenesses. And Flacco has actually gotten the better of him in their one-on-one matchups.
There’s one important statistic that Flacco and Brady share. They both win.
Flacco’s 62 career regular-season wins in his first six seasons are the most by a quarterback in NFL history. Brady was four behind him at 58.
Even this year, the two have continued to pile up the wins despite being without some of their favorite targets. They’ve each been stripped of talent around them.
Flacco lost his most reliable wide receiver, Anquan Boldin, via trade in the offseason. Boldin was the man who caught two touchdowns – including one in which he stood over a Patriots defender, pointed and laughed – in last year’s AFC championship. The Ravens quarterback was without his go-to tight end Dennis Pitta
(hip) for the first 12 games of the season. The Patriots sit with a 10-4 record despite Brady losing tight ends Aaron Hernandez (prison) and Rob Gronkowski (forearm and knee). Gronkowski played in just seven games. Yet Brady has spread the ball around to little-known players Julian Edelman (89 catches), Danny Amendola (51 catches) and rookies Aaron Dobson (35 catches) and Kenbrell Thompkins (32 catches).
“When they haven’t been full-strength, they have found ways to win football games,” Flacco said.
“I think we’ve had a lot of those same situations, and we’re just now starting to capitalize on them and win them. … So, you’ve got to credit Tom and his ability to just adapt and bring everybody’s level up a little bit.”
The two quarterbacks have also etched their place as two of the NFL’s most clutch signal callers.
Flacco has four fourth-quarter comebacks this year, including in both of his past two games against Minnesota and in Detroit. Brady has an NFL-leading five comebacks this year. He had three consecutive from Weeks 11 to 13.
While Brady typically blows away Flacco in statistical measures (Brady has thrown for 4,000 yards six times while Flacco has yet to do it), they share the clutch gene.
“I do really think it’s overlooked oftentimes, in particular, when you talk about Joe,” Offensive Coordinator Jim Caldwell said this week. “Everybody wants to look at the statistical information and determine that as the measure of a man, in terms of his position. What they should look at is how many wins he’s been involved in.”
Flacco was asked whether he admires the way Brady can always seemingly pull his team from behind.
“You really just look at winning football games and the ability to win in many fashions – being a type of quarterback that is just able to go out there and play a tough game, and if it calls for a last-minute win, then that’s what it calls for,” Flacco said.
When Flacco and Brady have faced off, Flacco has typically had the better day.
Baltimore is the only team in the NFL Brady has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns against. In eight career games, he’s tossed eight touchdowns to 10 interceptions against the Ravens.
“It would be nice to go out there and play this team and play them well for once,” Brady said on Wednesday. “We haven’t done a great job against them offensively.”
On the other hand, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco seems to reserve some of his best performances for the Patriots.
In his last four games against Bill Belichick's defense, including two AFC championship games, Flacco has thrown for 1,213 yards, 10 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 109.8 passer rating.
Last year, Flacco threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns and one interception against the Patriots in the regular season. He tossed three more touchdowns and no interceptions in the AFC championship. Brady passed for 335 yards but just one touchdown in the regular season and 320 yards, one touchdown and two picks in the title game.
When the two quarterbacks get together, it’s often fireworks.
"They call it competitive greatness,'' Ravens defensive end Chris Canty
said. “When you're playing against the best, you want to be performing at your best when it is needed. “That's an attribute both these quarterbacks share.”
