Joe Flacco, the 38-year-old quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, hasn’t participated in a postseason game in almost a decade. On January 10, 2015, his Baltimore Ravens team lost to the New England Patriots.
However, don’t let the considerable amount of time that has passed between Flacco’s previous playoff start and his upcoming one on Saturday in Houston cast doubt on the record that, should the Browns prevail, may actually be achieved.
Flacco will go down as the all-time greatest road playoff quarterback if he prevails.
Indeed, the finest. In the Browns’ Wild Card Round game against the Texans, Flacco is attempting to record his eighth road playoff victory, which would put him ahead of seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady for the most by an NFL quarterback ever.
After playing all of his games with the Ravens from 2008 to 2018, Flacco has a 7–5 road playoff record. He has only played at home twice during the postseason and has virtually entirely been a visitor in the playoffs, which helps to explain why he is tied for the most road playoff success among quarterbacks, including Brady.
“No matter where you are, there’s a part of you that takes pride in winning football games and making it to the playoffs,” Flacco said to reporters on Tuesday. “To be in this position and play these kinds of games is what we go to work for every day. I believe we should all be proud of ourselves. You ought to benefit from our performance on Saturday, which we have earned the right to do. All of it is irrelevant once you lace them up and are in the field.
Twice in his career, as a rookie in 2009 and again in 2013, the year the Ravens won the Super Bowl, Flacco has won two straight road playoff games. In a game known as the “Mile High Miracle,” Flacco led Baltimore to victories against the Broncos and the Brady-led Patriots, securing a trip to the Super Bowl and ultimately winning the Ravens the Lombardi Trophy.
Flacco’s brief but memorable tenure with the Browns has been equally successful as previous outings. Since taking over as the starter on December 3, he has gone 4-1. In his last four starts, all of which have resulted in victories, he has surpassed 300 passing yards.
The Browns are now the greatest story in the league going into the playoffs because of Flacco’s incredible comeback. To maintain this momentum, the Browns will almost surely need Flacco to shatter the record for most road playoff victories and start a new winning run of road victories.
Cleveland’s chances of hosting a playoff game at Cleveland Browns Stadium are slim given their ranking as the No. 5 seed. If the Browns win this week, their postseason route will probably pass through Buffalo, Kansas City, or Baltimore.
But Flacco seems to have what it takes to keep Cleveland winning on the road after leading the Browns into the playoffs in one of the most unbelievable comebacks the NFL has ever witnessed.
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