2013 NFL Power Rankings: Week 9 ESPN.com

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A year can make a big difference in the NFL. Here's the latest proof: Five of last season's playoff teams, including the Super Bowl champion Ravens, currently have losing records.

Baltimore, at 3-4, is still a top-20 team (No. 15) in the eyes of our voters (John Clayton, Ashley Fox, Dan Graziano, Jamison Hensley, Mike Sando and Kevin Seifert). The rest of this struggling group -- Atlanta, Houston, Minnesota and Washington -- can't say the same. The Falcons, coming off an ugly loss at Arizona, slipped to No. 23. They're followed by Redskins at No. 24, the Texans at No. 28 and the Vikings at No. 30.

The falls of the Texans and Falcons look particularly jarring when you consider where everyone started. Atlanta, pegged by many as a viable Super Bowl contender, opened the regular season at No. 2. Houston, on the heels of consecutive AFC South titles, opened at No. 7. Now both teams are mired among the also-rans.

Can any of these teams right the ship? Anything's possible, but most of the signs say no. Houston, for instance, losers of five straight with a turnover-prone offense, hosts Andrew Luck and No. 3 Indianapolis in Week 9. Not exactly a great spot for a turnaround.

The moral of the story is this: No matter what your favorite team has done in the recent past, it's not easy to stay relevant in the NFL. The proof is all around us.

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