NFL Power Rankings: Philadelphia Eagles and 4 Teams in Massive Panic Mode

Nothing hurts worse than having preseason Super Bowl dreams, only to wake up after Week 5 and be just as close or closer to picking first overall.

For the following teams, that is their reality. Usually win-now games don’t surface until late in the year, but they’ve arrived earlier for a handful of disappointing franchises.

Here are four clubs that are in panic mode after disastrous starts: 

St. Louis Rams

Okay, maybe the Rams didn’t have Super Bowl expectations. However, they were heavy favorites to win the NFC West. Sam Bradford is having a brutal season because he has no protection and minimal weapons in the passing game. Unlike last year, the Rams defense hasn’t been able to keep their team in games.

They could still win the division, simply because the West is just that bad. However, they have to do a 180-degree turn right now. 

New York Jets

Rex Ryan is failing to back up his trash talk even more than he normally does. At 2-3, the Jets pretty much need to sweep the 4-1 Buffalo Bills to make the playoffs. That isn’t as easy a task as it’s been in recent years.

With a struggling offense, Mark Sanchez’s time may be running out in the impatient New York. 

Atlanta Falcons

After boldly trading up for Julio Jones in the 2011 NFL draft, no one in the Falcons organization could have envisioned a 2-3 start. Through five weeks, Atlanta already has as many losses as they recorded during the regular season in all of last year.

The reason behind their collapse is their offensive line. Quite simply, it's not as stable as it was in 2010. Furthermore, their defensive line isn’t as disruptive as it was, either.

In a brutal division, an early season hole isn’t what the Falcons needed. 

Philadelphia Eagles

Not even Rob Ryan would have predicted a 1-4 start for the Philadelphia Eagles. It isn’t even like their losses are flukes, Philly’s defense is an embarrassment and their offensive line is a joke.

They are proving that looking good on paper means absolutely nothing. Forget the Super Bowl; the Eagles would be lucky to make the playoffs at this point.

David Daniels is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer.  Follow him on Twitter.