The general consensus in the league is that the Denver Broncos haven’t been able to nail down the quarterback position. With failed attempts at solutions with Brock Osweiler, Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian, and Case Keenum, many Denver Broncos fans have been wondering when they will be able to figure it out. They’re hopeful that former Baltimore Raven’s quarterback Joe Flacco can be a potential answer to this question.
What the Broncos Can Expect From Joe Flacco
Is Joe Flacco the answer?
The short answer is no one knows yet. However, Denver Broncos general manager John Elway is also very optimistic about his new quarterback. He’s mentioned in various press conferences and interviews that he believes Joe Flacco is entering his prime.
Elway mentions a few different reasons why Flacco will be a great fit for the team. Flacco excelled under the Gary Kubiak-led offense in Baltimore, a similar offensive scheme that the Broncos are currently running. Flacco is also a more traditional quarterback that the Broncos are used to having and winning with, quarterbacks similar to Elway himself and Peyton Manning, the two quarterbacks that have brought championships to Denver.
Fans of the Denver Broncos feel that this is just another short-term solution that won’t benefit the team. It’ll be just a placeholder at the quarterback position until the Broncos can strike gold with a young quarterback. However, Flacco is only 34 years of age and more and more we’re seeing quarterbacks being able to play at a high level as they get older i.e. Manning, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, etc. If Flacco can excel under his new offense, this could potentially be an answer for the Broncos for the foreseeable future.
The Stats: Flacco vs. Case Keenum
What could it be specifically that Elway saw in Flacco that he couldn’t see in Keenum? The Broncos ranked 28th in 2018 in terms of converting on third down. They also ranked 19th in the league in 2018 in terms of converting trips to the red zone. According to Pro Football Focus, Keenum’s quarterback rating on third down last season was 66.8, 72.5 in the red zone. He also had an interception rate of 5.7% in the red zone, throwing four interceptions in the red zone last year. The Broncos have to be able to convert on third down and be effective in the red zone if they hope to see any success.
Flacco’s quarterback rating was certainly better than that of Keenum in 2018. Flacco had a quarterback rating of 97.3 on third down, 90.9 in the red zone, and only threw one red zone interception last year in nine games. 2018 was also his best graded season by PFF since 2014, the year after the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl.
Last Word
We won’t really know the answer to the question if Flacco can be the quarterback moving forward from Broncos, but all signs point to Flacco at least being a better option than Keenum. Broncos fans are hoping that Flacco can be more efficient than Keenum. They’re also hopeful that he can fill in the gaps where Keenum might not have been as efficient.
With a solid receiving core, running back core, and a new quarterback, it looks like the Broncos offense might be close to being back on track.
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