You did good, Joe Flacco.
Barring a stinker of epic proportions next Sunday, Flacco earned himself a few lifetimes of financial security by outplaying Peyton Manning in a 38-35 double-overtime win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday.
On NFL Network
NFL Replay will re-air the
Baltimore Ravens' 38-35 win over the
Denver Broncos from the AFC divisional playoffs on Monday, Jan. 14
at 8 p.m. ET.
Flacco has had his struggles this season -- particularly on the road -- but the fifth-year quarterback was a man in complete control in frigid road conditions at Mile High. Flacco was precise on a day when Baltimore's struggles in special-teams coverage left no margin for error.
His greatest achievement came late in the fourth quarter, a 70-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones that shocked the Mile High crowd into silence, tied the game and nearly shut down Twitter.
Flacco can thank Rahim Moore, the Broncos safety who somehow got lost in space when his only job was to make sure no one got behind him. But Flacco deserves heavy praise, climbing the pocket before delivering a beautiful rainbow strike.
"You have to get a little bit of luck and it worked out," Flacco said. "We were able to take a shot and everybody came through when that one opportunity arose."
Flacco finished 18-of-34 passing for 330 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, a nearly flawless effort considering the conditions. He now has five road playoff wins, tied with Eli Manning for the most in NFL history. Flacco is a bona fide bad man in January.
He might not ever been as consistently "elite" as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, or -- yes -- Peyton Manning, but the Ravens would be crazy not to lock up Flacco (a pending free agent) for the balance of his prime. Two more wins and he can name his price.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
