Texans Vs. Ravens: Joe Flacco Is Empathetic For Rookie T.J. Yates

Read More: Joe Flacco (QB - BAL), Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans

For Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, this thing called the "NFL Playoffs" is nothing new to him. Flacco is the only quarterback in the league's history to lead his team to the playoffs in his first four seasons, and seeing what T.J. Yates has done for the Houston Texans has impressed him. Flacco says that he understands completely what the rookie quarterback is going though and realizes how the rookie handles the situation can have an impact on how the entire team performs.

Flacco reflected on his first playoff game to the Baltimore Sun, a game versus the Miami Dolphins that the Ravens won, 27-9.

"I went down to Miami...we played those guys earlier in the year, kind of like Houston has played us earlier in the year. We had beaten them earlier in the year, and then we beat them again. It was just exciting to get a playoff win. We weren't thinking about being on the road. It was just something we had to do. It was the position we were in, and we had to go get a win. I think there's a lot to be made about playing at home [and] playing on the road, but the bottom line is when you're out on the field, when you're out there running plays and trying to execute them well, you're not thinking, ‘Man, I'm not at home today. I don't know if I'm going to be able to hit this pass as easy.' It can probably help team's mood a little bit, if anything. I think it's something that's more looked at after the fact, based on whether you won or lost. I'm sure the Texans are looking at it as, ‘Hey, this is what we have to do. This is the position we put ourselves in. If we have to go play Baltimore, in Baltimore, we'll go do that.' And we're excited to have them here."

If Yates can perform like Flacco did then, playing mistake-free and poised football, then it will give Houston a chance to win. That's all that Gary Kubiak can really ask for at this point.

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