BALTIMORE — With 76,732 rabid Broncos fans screaming their lungs dry during introductions before Saturday’s AFC Divisional playoff game — a dramatic 38-35 Ravens victory — Ray Lewis had a quiet moment with his maligned quarterback, Joe Flacco.
“You’re the general,’’ said Lewis, who has said he will retire and was facing potentially his final NFL game after 17 seasons. “Lead us.’’
All Flacco did was outplay the legendary Peyton Manning, completing 18 of 34 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns while not turning the ball over.
Flacco launched a 70-yard scoring pass to Jacoby Jones with 31 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 35-35 and sent it to overtime.
Manning? He had three turnovers (two interceptions and a lost fumble) that led to 17 Baltimore points.
Flacco, who had turned the ball over twice in the Ravens’ 34-17 home loss to the Broncos three weeks earlier, was unflappable.
Dismissed by Ravens fans as being a mere “game manager,’’ Flacco was as much the reason the Ravens won the game as Manning — who threw his second INT in overtime in Denver territory — was the reason the Broncos lost it.
“He grew up today,’’ Lewis said of Flacco. “I looked in his eyes, and I saw he had something different about him today. I’ve always been a Joe Flacco fan and always will be. To watch what he did today probably was one of the greatest things I’ll sit back and remember.’’
Flacco called the game “crazy,’’ saying, “We overcame some things today. None of us blinked.’’
For Flacco, who will become a free agent after the season and is seeking a big contract, the performance was a major statement and went a long way toward improving his mixed legacy in Baltimore.
“Perspectives on any player are going to evolve, and that’s part of the process for any young quarterback,’’ Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “You look at one of the greatest to ever play the game on the other side today [Manning], and if you look back, the perspective on him has evolved over the years.’’
Another contrast: Flacco is the first quarterback in NFL history to win at least one playoff game in each of his first five seasons. Manning has gone one-and-done eight times and is now 9-11 in his postseason career.
Cynics in Denver already are crowing about how Tim Tebow has one more playoff win for the Broncos than Manning.
“Joe has proven he’s a winner,’’ said Ravens receiver Torrey Smith, who caught Flacco TD passes of 59 and 32 yards. “A lot of people argue about that ‘elite’ word, but Joe is not asked to do what other quarterbacks are asked to do. With games like this, though, he deserves more respect.’’