Joe Flacco knee injury could extend Ravens 2015 misery into next season

BALTIMORE — It’s bad enough for the Baltimore Ravens that their 2015 season has been about as miserable as it gets, basically from start to near-finish. Now those miseries are threatening to spill over into their 2016 season with the serious knee injury suffered Sunday by quarterback Joe Flacco.

Flacco suffered what the Ravens called a season-ending injury to his left knee, believed to be tears of his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, late in the Ravens’ 16-13 triumph over the St. Louis Rams at M&T Bank Stadium.

The injury leaves Flacco facing surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process. He said in the postgame locker room he does not know if his playing status for any portion of next season could be affected.

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“I have no idea at this point,” Flacco said. “I’ve just got to see what we can do and get back as quick as possible. But I have no idea.”

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The former Super Bowl most valuable player managed to finish the game after suffering the injury early on the Ravens’ final drive of the day.

“I wanted to win a game,” Flacco said. “I didn’t know what was wrong. … I tried to hop up as quickly as I could. I was kind of heading toward the sideline. But the fact I was able to hop up and head toward the sideline, I said, ‘Oh, okay. Let’s hang out here and see what I can do.’

“I don’t know if it was the best thing but [it was] just a reaction. … I’ve never done anything like that, so you don’t really know. But I [hurt] my MCL a couple times and I knew it was a lot worse than that.”

Flacco said his left foot remained planted firmly in the turf as he was hit above his knee while delivering a pass on the opening play of the final drive. He left the field after the game and the team’s medical staff “could tell right away” in the locker room that the damage was extensive, said Flacco, who confirmed that he believes he injured his MCL as well as his ACL.

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“I’m probably still in shock a little bit,” Flacco said. “But you play football and you play as long as I have and you play as hard as we do out there, then stuff like this happens. And you have to just stand tall and be tough about it, and that’s all you can do. I think that’s the way I am with everything in my life and I’m not gonna be any different this time.”

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Flacco is 10 games into his eighth NFL season and never has missed a game. That durability streak will come to an end as the Ravens will play out the string with Matt Schaub at quarterback.

“I’ve been really fortunate,” Flacco said. “I’m really proud of the fact that I was able to go that long. I wanted to go my whole career and not miss anything. Like I said, it’s the nature of the game. It happens and it gets guys. That’s the way it goes and I’ve just got to go out there and rehab, get back and be stronger.”

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The Ravens have a record of 3-7 in a season that began with seemingly legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. They previously lost pass rusher Terrell Suggs and wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr. to season-ending injuries. Running back Justin Forsett was also lost Sunday, suffering a broken right arm.

A season cannot go too much worse.

“It’s tough,” Flacco said, who was speaking of his own injury but just as easily could have been talking about the team-wide issues. “I don’t think it’s really set in yet. But it’s just the nature of the game, man. Stuff like this happens. So you’ve just got to stand tall and get through it.”

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