NFL Power Rankings: Ravens in freefall after two-game losing streak

Two straight losses and back to .500. The Ravens no longer look like the immovable object on defense many expected. They also aren’t hitting their stride on offense. The power rankings have noticed this and the Ravens are quickly dropping heading into Week 9 of the NFL season.

16. Baltimore Ravens (4-4) | Last Week’s Rank: 11 (WaPo)

Things are beginning to unravel with two straight losses that have dropped the Ravens’ record to .500. They host the Steelers and Bengals in their next two games, with a bye in between. Anything other than a sweep of those two games would leave the Ravens in a difficult spot going down the stretch.

Completely agree with this from The Washington Post. Baltimore must sweep the Steelers and figure out how to stop the Bengals. They’re getting an extra week to prepare; hopefully Don Martindale can scheme to stop A.J. Green.

11. Baltimore Ravens | Last Week: 6 (SB Nation)

The Ravens have lost in back-to-back weeks to top-10 teams. Their loss to the Saints was a close one but their loss in Carolina to the Panthers came with a 15-point margin of defeat.

Painful and to the point. The Ravens are still a talented team, but clearly don’t belong in the upper echelon when on the receiving end of two big losses.

13. Baltimore Ravens (4-4) | Last Week: 7 (USAToday)

Trick — Joe Flacco, top-ranked defense had elicited Super Bowl memories. Starting to smack fraudulent for team now outside playoff picture.

These are rather painful to read one after another. Another website hits it right on the money, the offense felt 2012 playoff-esque. The team was on a roll with big catches across the field. Now, they’re missing throws, dropping passes and on their last life in the healthy offensive line department.

11. Ravens (4-4) | Last week: 8 (NFL)

Make no mistake: The Ravens got drubbed in Carolina on Sunday. That’s how it felt, anyway, watching Joe Flacco under pressure, tossing errant balls, while Cam Newton coasted his way through four quarters and into the end zone on an easy-peasy bootleg. Flacco’s two interceptions were mind-boggling. . .

This is a big point to how bad the Ravens have looked. The number one defense in the NFL collapsed in on themselves and they’re not the main focus of the loss to the Panthers. What happened to the trio of receivers capable of creating separation? What happened to Flacco’s passing?

10. Baltimore Ravens (4-4) | Last week: 7 (ESPN)

Joe Flacco has struggled in throwing the ball deep. He has one of the strongest arms in the NFL, but the Ravens can’t stretch the field. Over the past four games, Flacco is 1-of-13 on passes that travel at least 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The lack of explosiveness puts too much pressure on Baltimore to grind out long drives. His 5.89 yards per attempt in October is the worst in the NFL. -- Jamison Hensley

Shout out to Jamison for dropping the numbers. This team has one of the best burners in the league, yet John Brown can’t complete the catches himself. Joe needs to get it together in November if the Ravens want to break their missed playoff streak.