The standings say the 4-4 Ravens are two games in back of the 6-2 Bengals, but Cincinnati's 17-7 win on Sunday gives the Bengals the season series sweep and thus the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Ravens, who have lost four of five games, head into their Week 10 game at Cleveland having taken a step back after an impressive rout of then-unbeaten Denver two weeks ago. The Ravens never led vs. the Bengals. Their defense was gashed on 12- and 10-play TD drives to start the game, and their offense did not get untracked until the fourth quarter. By then, the Ravens had little margin for error, and their last best chance to get back into the game was squandered when PK Steven Hauschka missed a 38-yard field goal with 6:17 left. Indeed, it was a loss where Baltimore struggled in all three phases of the game.

The PFW spin

The Ravens' inconsistency could be their undoing. Their best game is top-caliber, but middling or poor efforts leave them more vulnerable than past Baltimore clubs because the defense just isn't as strong as it was in past seasons.

When the Ravens surrender 369 yards like they did at Cincinnati, they have to be sound on offense and special teams to have a chance to win. And that didn't happen on Sunday. QB Joe Flacco threw a pair of interceptions and completed a little more than 50 percent of his throws. The Bengals pressured Flacco well, sacking him four times. What's more, the Bengals stymied the Ravens' running game early, and Baltimore largely got away from the run once it fell behind by 17 points in the second half.

Hauschka, a second-year placekicker from North Carolina State, has now missed three field goals in 11 tries, and it remains to be seen if the Ravens will make a change. Hauschka's 44-yard miss on the final play at Minnesota in Week Six cost the Ravens a comeback win, and the club probably won't be patient for much longer. Hauschka's kickoffs have been good, but his field-goal accuracy must improve if he is to be a long-term option for Baltimore or any other NFL club.

But the Ravens' biggest concern continues to be the defense, which has been vulnerable vs. the pass all season and has surrendered more than 140 yards on the ground in three of its last four games. Baltimore clearly missed DT Haloti Ngata on Sunday, but the defense has not played up to its usual standard even when at full strength. The absence of LB Bart Scott and S Jim Leonhard (both now with the Jets) looms larger every week.

The Ravens should beat struggling Cleveland next Monday, but the major question is whether they can muster the complete, sustained efforts to beat Indianapolis and Pittsburgh at home in Weeks 11 and 12. Their problems at Cincinnati on Sunday signal they have a lot of work to do if they are to save their season.