BALTIMORE — Ravens coach John Harbaugh admits that his team’s struggles on the road have put them in a difficult position.

Nonetheless, Harbaugh is confident he has the personnel to overcome those challenges and make a run to the playoffs, despite an uphill battle to accomplish that goal.

After a 43-23 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9, Baltimore has now lost two straight games and has gone from first place to last place in the AFC North at 5-4. This is the latest point of the season that Baltimore has been in the cellar since Brian Billick’s last year as head coach in 2007.

The Ravens will look to bounce back in Week 10 against a struggling Titans team and then they will have a bye week to regroup and get healthy.

“It’s going to be a fight until the end, and we’ve just got to make sure we’re in the fight,” Harbaugh said. “And that starts with moving forward right now, this week, to the next game, to Tennessee – a good football team coming in here to our place that we’re going to have to play much better than we’ve played the last two weeks in order to win this game. And that’s where our team will be 100 percent focused on.”

Two weeks ago, the Ravens were headed to Cincinnati with a chance to take control of the AFC North and put themselves in the driver’s seat for the division title. Instead, a 27-24 loss to the Bengals, followed by the loss to the Steelers, has hurt Baltimore’s postseason outlook.

The Ravens are 2-3 on the road this season and have lost nine of their past 13 overall away from Baltimore.

“We aren’t going to lay down,” linebacker Daryl Smith said. “We are going to bounce back.”

The Titans are just 2-5 on the season and are starting rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger. However, Tennessee is coming off a bye and had two weeks to prepare for the Ravens.

“The facts are when a team is coming off a bye and you’re going into a bye, that’s a tough one. If you look at the metrics, the Vegas people are going to be betting against us on that one,” Harbaugh said. “That’s a proven loser in Vegas. So, we’re going to have to make sure we overcome that. That’s part of it, because they have two weeks to prepare for us.”

Baltimore will look to avoid a three-game losing streak for the second consecutive year. Last season, the Ravens lost to the Packers, Steelers and Browns at the same point of the year en route to an 8-8 season.

After playing host to Tennessee, the bye week could not come at a better time for the Ravens. That will provide cornerback Jimmy Smith additional time to heal his injured foot. Smith missed the last two games with the injury and he is also expected to be out against Titans. Mettenberger should not pose as big of a challenge as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who scorched the Ravens for six touchdown passes.

REPORT CARD VS. STEELERS

PASSING OFFENSE: D – Quarterback Joe Flacco completed 30 of 45 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns. However, he also had a costly interception that led to Pittsburgh’s second touchdown. Flacco was also sacked four times for a loss of 34 yards. Running back Justin Forsett was the Ravens’ top receiver with five catches for 67 yards. Torrey Smith did have his fourth touchdown reception in the past four games.

RUSHING OFFENSE: D – A fumble by rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro changed the entire momentum of the game, providing the Steelers with a short field and eventually a game-tying touchdown. Baltimore was not able to get back in sync after the turnover. Justin Forsett led the Ravens with 38 yards on nine carries but the unit was held to just 63 yards on the day

PASS DEFENSE: D – The Ravens had only healthy cornerbacks available against Pittsburgh – Lardarius Webb, Dominique Franks and Chykie Brown. They struggled mightily against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who completed 25 of 37 passes for 340 yards and six touchdowns. Baltimore sorely missed cornerback Jimmy Smith, who is expected to miss a few more weeks with a foot injury. The Ravens did manage three sacks that helped contain the Steelers early in the first half.

RUSH DEFENSE: B-plus – Baltimore’s defensive line was effective in controlling the Steelers ground attack. The Steelers were held to just 55 yards on 25 carries and no touchdowns. Chris Canty and Elvis Dumervil each had several solid stops behind the line of scrimmage.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A – This unit was the lone highlight for the Ravens. Jacoby Jones had a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Justin Tucker made his only field-goal attempt from 36 yards. The group did not make any glaring mistakes.

COACHING: D – The Ravens coaching staff did not make the necessary adjustments and paid the price. Rookie linebacker C.J. Mosley struggled in pass coverage and he never received added support. Baltimore also failed to change up the play-calling to deal with Pittsburgh’s constant pass rash. Two weeks after being in first place in the AFC North, the Ravens are now in last and have plenty of work to do if they want to avoid missing the playoffs for the second straight season.