What makes Joe Cool: How Flacco keeps calm under pressure

[Miles]

Flacco says he didn’t say much to his teammates as he walked into the huddle against Chicago.


Whatever he did say seemed to work.


“We ended up not being in the huddle that long, but it's really no different than any other [drive],” Flacco said. “I think we were pretty confident at that point in the game. We had kept them on the field for a pretty long time, so we were just kind trying to execute. Then, once the drive starts, everybody just kind of gets the play and you're just playing football. You're reacting and doing your thing at that point.”


He found Royce Freeman to start the drive with a 19-yard gain, hit Courtland Sutton for a pair of fourth-down conversions and then lofted a perfect pass to Emmanuel Sanders in the back of the end zone.


Then, after Fangio decided to go for a two-point conversion, Flacco found Sanders again at the near pylon for the lead.


The Broncos weren’t able to hold their lead due to a series of unfortunate plays, but Flacco had done his part.


“Seeing it year in and year out, that doesn’t lie to you,” running back Phillip Lindsay said. “He’s going to be who he is — and that’s a calm, cool and collected man that’s going to win games.


“We scored and then we went for two and we scored — he did his job.”


Since his NFL career started in 2008, late-game drives have simply been a part of Flacco’s game. The veteran quarterback ranks eighth among active quarterbacks with 24 game-winning drives, and were it not for the Bears' late score, he would've added another against Chicago.


Among active players, only Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford and Philip Rivers have more game-winning drives.


“Joe’s been in that situation a lot playing in the AFC North,” wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. “I played in the AFC North as well, and playing in that division, it’s always going to be close games. It’s always going to be crunch games. He just has that [mentality] of ‘Let’s go out and win this game by any means [necessary].’”


But as Sanders explained, part of what makes Flacco so good in those moments — what makes Joe Cool — is that he’s the same person on fourth-and-10 as he is in the locker room on Monday afternoon.


“He’s always the same,” Sanders said. “His personality is the same no matter what. He’s smooth, cool. Cool, calm and collected. That’s just Joe. I’ve never seen him get out of that character. That’s just who he is.”


Only after the successful two-point conversion did Flacco show emotion.


He and Sanders bumped helmets, screaming in exultation.


That, Joe, was cool.