Flacco, Ryan: Philly-area QBs going in different directions

BALTIMORE - The only two NFL starting quarterbacks from the Philadelphia area met at midfield 90 minutes before the Baltimore Ravens' 29-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Audubon's Joe Flacco, the Ravens' Super Bowl-winning quarterback, faced Exton native Matt Ryan, a Pro Bowl passer with the Falcons, for just the second time in their NFL careers.

Ryan, a Penn Charter alum, asked a bout Flacco's family. Flacco, who went to Audubon High School, asked Ryan how many people he knew coming down I-95 for the game.

"Just a short drive down from Philadelphia," Ryan said, "so a bunch of family and friends were here today."

They witnessed Baltimore dominate Atlanta, with Ryan under duress too often to make the game competitive. When the final whistle sounded, Ryan walked right over to the Baltimore sideline to find Flacco. The two quarterbacks developed a relationship in 2008 when they were the top passers in the draft and they still see each other at offseason events.

"I thought Joe played a really good game," Ryan said. "He's playing well this season. Wished him the best of luck as they move forward."

Their teams are going in opposite directions. Flacco's Ravens are now 5-2, a legitimate contender with Flacco on pace for the best season of his career. Ryan's Falcons are 2-5, with their fourth straight loss in large part because Ryan was battered behind a porous offensive line.

Flacco finished 16 of 25 for 259 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Ryan was 29 of 44 for 228 yards, one touchdown, and one fumble. He was sacked five times and hit nine times.

When Flacco embraced Ryan after the game, his brief message focused on the beating.

"Hey man, good job standing in there," Flacco said in a still-thick Philadelphia accent. "You're doing a hell of a job, and just keep it up."

Not that Flacco is sympathetic. Asked if he felt bad seeing how the Baltimore pass rush pulverized Ryan, Flacco laughed.

"Not at all," he said.

Flacco benefited from better protection than Ryan - Flacco was sacked once and hit four times – but Flacco had something to do with it, too. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Atlanta "threw the kitchen sink at us" and Flacco handled the pressure.

"Joe has a lot of responsibility at the line, and they were disguising really well," Harbaugh said. "I thought he did a really good job of sorting it out. He made some big throws as well, good in the pocket."

During the last seven seasons, Ryan has been statistically superior. Flacco won more games and played better in the postseason, with a Super Bowl ring to validate his standing in the league.

Flacco has 103 career regular-season starts, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 23,399 yards, 135 touchdowns, and 83 interceptions. He won 67 of those games. The Ravens have reached the playoffs five times with Flacco as the quarterback and won nine games, including Super Bowl XLVII.

Ryan started 101 career regular-season games. He completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 25,550 yards, 166 touchdowns, and 84 interceptions. He won 62 of those games. Ryan has been to the playoffs in four seasons, but has won just one game.

They are both on second contracts that come with the onus of being among the faces of their franchise. Flacco signed a six-year deal that could be worth as much as $120.6 million in May 2013, two months before Ryan inked a five-year pact that could be worth as much as $103.75 million.

As well as the Ravens seem to be playing, their NFC North lead comes in the only division without a team with a losing record. Despite how poor the Falcons are playing, Ryan admitted "in the division, we're kind of in the mix" because no team in the NFC South has a winning record.

"It feels good anytime you get a win," Flacco said to complete a week rife with comparisons to Ryan. "To get us at 5-2 - a couple games in a row that we've won - it's always big."

Both quarterbacks understood the comparisons leading up to the game. Flacco told reporters "it's a cool thing" because it means "we're somewhat relevant," and that he wishes they were in the same conference so they could play more often.

Ryan won the first meeting in 2010. Flacco won Sunday's game, giving South Jersey the bragging right rights over Southeastern Pennsylvania until they meet again.

@ZBerm