And not from Ravens fans, who have been wondering why he's not putting up the kind of fantasy-football numbers that Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady and Drew Brees are.
The Ravens have made the playoffs 4 straight years with Flacco as their quarterback. With yesterday's 20-13 win over the Texans, they are going to the AFC Championship Game for the second time since Flacco stepped out of the 2008 draft as the 18th overall pick and into the starting lineup.
But most of the credit for this latest win, as with the bulk of the Ravens' victories this season, went to a defense that forced four turnovers and gave up just one touchdown rather than a quarterback who completed just 14 of 27 passes for 176 yards.
"Like I told Joe, no one wins games by themselves," linebacker Ray Lewis said. "We are in this as a family. We are in this as a team. Joe has come in and led us to the playoffs in each of the last 4 years. If that was anybody else, they would be praising him. Joe Flacco has done a heck of a job getting us into position to win."
No quarterback in history has won more games in his first four seasons than Flacco (44). His career numbers are solid, if not spectacular: an 86.0 passer rating, with 34 more touchdown passes than interceptions.
But the postseason is where a quarterback's legacy is made. Or not made. Ask Brady or Joe Montana. Ask Donovan McNabb, who went to five conference title games with the Eagles, but will be remembered more for tossing his cookies and throwing those three interceptions in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Yesterday's win was Flacco's fifth in eight playoff starts. But he has been more game manager than playmaker in most of those games. He has just a 66.2 postseason passer rating and a 53.1 percent playoff completion rate. Just six touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
