Monday, January 19, 2009
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The rookie finally played like one — at the worst possible time.
Since his first NFL start in September, Joe Flacco’s poise and wisdom in the pocket belied his inexperience. Even though he wasn’t spectacular, the kid was plenty good enough to get the Baltimore Ravens to the AFC championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That’s when Joe Cool became Joe Cold.
Flacco didn’t throw an interception or lose a fumble in Baltimore’s first two playoff games, and the Ravens won because of an 8-1 turnover differential. Against the Steelers on Sunday, Flacco was intercepted three times.
The first pick set up a field goal by Pittsburgh, the second was returned by Troy Polamalu 40 yards for a touchdown, and the final one sealed Baltimore’s 23-14 loss.
“You’ve got to tip your hat to those guys,” Flacco said of the Steelers’ defense. “They played tough all year.”
In three games against Pittsburgh this season, Flacco threw one touchdown pass and was intercepted five times. No wonder Baltimore lost all three games.
“I just think to their credit, they played extremely well,” Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. “They just kept coming, and they made the plays they had to make.”
Flacco had difficulty completing short passes, medium-length throws and long ones. Of his first seven passes, five were incomplete, one went to Willis McGahee for 2 yards and the other was intercepted by Deshea Townsend.
At halftime, Flacco was 3-of-14 for 39 yards with a quarterback rating of 9.8.
He finished 13-of-30 for 141 yards, and the Ravens’ bid to reach the Super Bowl with their rookie quarterback ended with a stinging defeat against their hated rivals.
“You know what? The Steelers played well, and when it came down to it, we just didn’t make enough plays to win,” tight end Todd Heap said.
To his credit, Flacco directed a 59-yard drive that got Baltimore to 16-14 with 9:29 left. But the big play was a pass interference call that set up McGahee’s second touchdown run.
Baltimore got the ball back, and it was up to Flacco to lead the Ravens to a victory against the top-ranked defense in the NFL.
Under pressure, he threw the ball up for grabs before being hit. Polamalu made the catch and weaved his way into the end zone with 4:24 left, virtually assuring the Ravens a trip home without the AFC title.
“I think Troy was probably just able to read my eyes,” Flacco said. “I think he was just able to jump over there, read a little bit and he made a nice play.”
The final interception, which came on a deflection, sent Flacco to the sideline for the final time this season.
“I thought Joe did a good job, but they game-plan and watch tape as well. What it boiled down to is they made more plays than we did,” receiver Derrick Mason said. “It’s not just Joe. It’s everybody. All 11 guys on the offensive side of the ball, we’ve got to help him out, and we didn’t do enough. Pittsburgh did. That’s why they’re moving on.”
Flacco became the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to win two playoff games by being protective of the ball, but couldn’t do so in this one. He ended up being accountable for three of his team’s five turnovers.
After riding Flacco’s conservative approach to victories over Miami and Tennessee, the Ravens (13-6) realized this game would be different after Townsend’s interception. Baltimore’s defense kept it close, but Flacco couldn’t deliver.
His performance conjured memories of another rookie quarterback who took his team to the AFC title game before coming unglued at Heinz Field. Ben Roethlisberger finished his first NFL season by going 14-of-24 with three interceptions in a loss to the New England Patriots in the 2004 AFC championship game.
Roethlisberger won the Super Bowl the following season.
The Ravens can only hope a year of experience will work similar wonders for their young quarterback, who only 13 months ago was flinging passes for the University of Delaware.
Despite the loss, the Ravens took consolation in going from 5-11 to the conference title game in John Harbaugh’s first year as an NFL head coach.
“I’m definitely proud of every single guy in this locker room,” Heap said. “As a team, we stuck together and fought through a lot of different things. I’m happy to part of this team.”
Said Harbaugh: “I thought our guys throughout the course of the season and throughout the course of this game demonstrated who they are as men. I couldn’t be more proud of them. I couldn’t be more proud to stand with them in victory and today in defeat.”