Joe Flacco made his first start for the Ravens on Sunday and delivered a victory. For Flacco to have a bigger role in future victories, here are some suggestions for him:
Three areas in which Flacco needs to continue to produce:
1. Limit costly mistakes. If the Ravens want to succeed against tougher defenses than the Bengals', their rookie quarterback has to keep managing the game like a veteran. Unlike many quarterbacks making their NFL debuts, Flacco never put the Ravens in a position to lose the game, finishing with no turnovers and no sacks.
He was the only quarterback who started and finished a game Sunday who accomplished this feat (The Philadelphia Eagles' Donovan McNabb didn't have a turnover or get sacked, but he was rested late in a 38-3 rout of the St. Louis Rams). Last season, there were only two games in which a Ravens starting quarterback had no turnovers and no sacks.
2. Keep a fast tempo. The Ravens didn't get flagged for a delay-of-game penalty because Flacco repeatedly got the players to the line quickly. The pace seemed to wear down the Bengals and caught them off guard at times, especially when Flacco dived for a third-and-one after going no-huddle.
3. Remain composed. There were times when Flacco could have gotten off his game, from Todd Heap's early fumble to a handful of dropped passes. But Flacco showed no frustration, keeping the even-keeled attitude everyone has grown to appreciate. This mind-set is important considering that offenses usually take the personality of their quarterbacks.
Three areas in which Flacco needs to improve:
1. Produce big plays with his arm. Flacco's biggest regret probably was underthrowing Mark Clayton, who had gotten behind the secondary deep down the middle of the field. A better pass would have been a sure touchdown.
In Flacco's defense, the game plan seemed conservative, tailored to short passes. As a result, Flacco didn't complete a pass of more than 15 yards. His 4.4 yards per attempt ranked 23rd among quarterbacks Sunday.
2. Convert on third downs. The Ravens were successful on 53 percent of their third downs, but most of them were third-and-short. Flacco regularly failed to keep drives alive in passing situations. He was 3-for-9 for 26 yards on third downs, a situation in which the Ravens have historically struggled.
3. Increase accuracy. When the game plan revolves around quick-hitting passes, the completion rate should be over 60 percent. Flacco was well below that mark at 51.7 percent, throwing high to some targets in the flats. But the Ravens didn't help him by letting several passes bounce off their hands, including one by Heap in the end zone.
Coach John Harbaugh said: "All of us had the question mark: Would the game be too fast for him the first game? And it wasn't. That was a good thing to see."
