Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #38

Joe Flacco

Joe Flacco may not seem like a great quarterback, and for the majority of his career he has been just above average, but during one magical postseason run he played at a level that has been nearly unmatched in league history.

Flacco was the Baltimore Ravens' first round draft pick in 2008, and was immediately named the starter. During his 7-season career, he has started every single Ravens game, including 112 in the regular season and 15 in the playoffs. He has also led the Ravens to the playoffs in 6 of those 7 seasons, which is very impressive.

Not only did he lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons, they won at least one game in each of those seasons, becoming the first, and so far only, quarterback in history to achieve that feat. He was also the first rookie quarterback ever to win two playoff games in his first season.

The real magic happened in 2012, his fifth season in the league, when he led Baltimore to the AFC Central title with a 10-6 record, then marched straight through the playoffs, taking out both Denver and New England on the road. Even more impressive is the fact that he outplayed Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in consecutive playoff games, both on the road, guiding the Ravens to their second Super Bowl trip.

In Super Bowl XLVII, he continued his stellar play, finishing with 287 yards and 3 touchdowns, while the Ravens held the lead for the entire game. He tied a playoff record for most touchdown passes in a single postseason, with 11 (along with Kurt Warner and Joe Montana), and also tied Montana's record for most TD passes without an interception during a postseason run. In total, he threw for 1140 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions over the course of 4 games, which will go down as one of the greatest quarterback playoff performances of all time, and probably the best ever for a QB who was not considered a star player.

Flacco is one of the league's most consistent quarterbacks, throwing for over 3600 yards for 6 straight years and at least 20 touchdowns 5 times, while missing the playoffs only once and winning a playoff game in every season in which he made the playoffs. Combine that consistency with one of the all-time greatest playoff runs, and you've got the credentials for one of the top quarterbacks of all time.