Joe Flacco an elite quarterback? Surely this is madness.

How can the one who some people call "Fluko" be ranked among the best NFL quarterbacks today?

When you really look at everything Joe Flacco has achieved and done on the football field, the truth can't be hidden any longer. Flacco is an elite quarterback, and should be talked about with other great quarterbacks.

I know what you're thinking, "this is crazy, Flacco isn't elite."

Well, when we dive into Flacco's underrated career, it shows that he just may very well be elite.

In his last game, against the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers, Flacco took care of business eliminating the division rival. In the 30-17 AFC Wild Card victory, Flacco was magnificent throwing for two touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 114 passer rating. Flacco had an 85.9 QBR rating in that game as well.

With that win, Flacco won his seventh career road postseason game, the most in NFL history. Yes, more than Troy Aikman, John Elway, Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana. Overall, Flacco has 10 playoff wins, giving him a 10-5 playoff record.

But even Trent Dilfer had a 5-1 playoff record. What makes Flacco elite is his ability to show up in the playoffs and perform the best on the road against the best teams in the league. Dilfer didn't win a Super Bowl MVP award. Two seasons ago, Flacco had one of the best postseasons of all-time, throwing for 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions in his four playoff games. That postseason was capped off by a three-touchdown performance against the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.

There's no denying the fact that Flacco is clutch. He may just be the most clutch quarterback in the NFL right now. Similar to Montana, Flacco doesn't put up the biggest Fantasy Football statistics in the regular season, but he shows up when the bright lights are on.

As Michael Salfino points out in the "Wall Street Journal," Flacco has six more playoff wins than any other quarterback since 2008.

In Flacco's last five playoff games he has an accumulated 13 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The Ravens have won all five of those games, and will play the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional round. Flacco has had his way with the Patriots in the past. Furthermore, Flacco's passer rating has been higher than 106 in each of his last five playoff games, and greater than 95 in his last seven playoff games.

Is this writer putting a lot of stress and emphasis on postseason performance? Yes, that's when champions are crowned, and that's when you face the best teams. It can no longer be denied that Flacco saves his best football for January.

Below you will see Flacco's postseason numbers, validating his postseason greatness.

As for the regular season, one could actually make the case that Flacco was the most underrated quarterback this season. In his 16 regular season starts, Flacco threw for 27 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and posted a 91 quarterback rating. Not bad.

Flacco is also a very reliable quarterback who hasn't missed a single start since, well, ever. Since 2008, Flacco has started and played all 112 regular season games for the Ravens. A clutch quarterback who can perform at a high level on the road without the best wide receivers? Sounds pretty elite.

For Baltimore Ravens fans who routinely watch the team play, these numbers and statistics are just a reminder of what their quarterbacks has done over the years. For other NFL fans, it's more of a wakeup call. Flacco may be somewhat inconsistent at times, but the reality is, he delivers when it matters most.

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