It's time to start getting ready for the NFL playoffs, folks. The postseason picture is starting to come into focus, and the regular season is just five weeks away from ending.
And it seems like it was just yesterday when the lockout was lifted...
The way things are looking right now, we're going to see plenty of familiar faces in the postseason this year. For kicks, I want to talk about two young quarterbacks we can expect to see in the playoffs: Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco.
Unless disaster strikes, both the Falcons and the Ravens are going to be able to make the postseason. The Falcons are currently in line to grab the NFC's second wild card and earn the No. 6 seed, and they should be able to negotiate the rest of their schedule without collapsing. It helps they shouldn't feel much pressure from the teams in pursuit, as both the Detroit Lions and New York Giants are running out of gas.
As for the Ravens, they're going to win the AFC North. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals are hot on their heels, but the Ravens are a better team than either of them and they've already beaten the Steelers twice. The division is theirs to lose.
For the purpose of this discussion, let's assume things stay the way they are. Both the Falcons and Ravens will make the playoffs, and then we'll all start asking whether or not Ryan and/or Flacco are finally ready to take their teams to the next level. Both have had multiple shots since entering the league in 2008, and both have disappointed.
Between the two of them, I like Flacco's chances to succeed a little better. If you don't mind lengthy explanations, please keep reading.
Concerning Ryan, I'm not about to deny that he's been really hot in recent weeks. He's looked really good, which is not exactly a surprise considering what he can do and what he's working with.
However, I'm of the mind that Ryan's recent success is slightly misleading. He's posted a QB rating of better than 100 in four of his last six games, but those four games were against subpar opponents. The book on Ryan is that he falls flat against superior competition, and I don't think he's done enough to prove things are any different this year.
Naturally, this is going to be a problem in the playoffs. Ryan has been badly exposed in both of his playoff starts in his young career, and I think we can expect more of the same this year. The Falcons are currently slated to face the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round, and they would have to face the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round if they were able to advance.
The Saints and Packers are both better teams than the Falcons, and both would make life tough for Ryan. He would have to step up and play beyond his abilities in order for the Falcons to advance, and I just don't think that's the kind of quarterback he is. Ryan is more of a game manager than he is an Aaron Rodgers or a Tom Brady.
So, why will Flacco fare any better?
A couple of reasons. First and foremost, you have to like the way he's played in Baltimore's two most recent games against the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers, two very good defensive teams. Flacco didn't pile up numbers, but he kept the game under control and didn't make any crippling mistakes.
Because Flacco gets to rely on an outstanding defense, this is all he really has to do. Unlike Ryan, who has to rely on an unsteady defense, Flacco can afford not to be great.
Given the way things are shaping up in the AFC, I think this is especially true of this season. The Ravens are in line to grab the No. 3 seed, in which case they might be squaring off against the Bengals. If not the Bengals, maybe the Denver Broncos or New York Jets.
None of the three would pose a challenge for Baltimore's defense, especially not at home. Assuming the defense shows up, Flacco would merely have to keep things in check.
If you ask me, the competition likely won't get much steeper in the next round against either the New England Patriots or Houston Texans. The Patriots are as beatable this year as they've ever been, and the Texans are going to be very limited with T.J. Yates (or whoever) under center.
The point is the AFC is weaker than usual this season. The Ravens appear to be the best team in the conference, which has not been the case in recent seasons. To get them to the Super Bowl, Flacco would merely have to play it safe and let his defense take care of the rest. Ray Rice will help, too, of course.
Long story short, Ryan is going to fail because he will have to do too much. Flacco is going to succeed because he doesn't have to do much at all.
Am I comparing apples to oranges? Sure, but this is not a discussion about who the better quarterback is. This is a discussion of playoff outlook, and I think Flacco's is brighter.
If Ryan is to prove me wrong, he's going to have to step up.
Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Atlanta Hawks Boston Celtics Charlotte Bobcats Chicago Bulls
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen