NFL Power Rankings: Philadelphia Eagles and 3 Birds Falling Fast

Eric BowmanOct 10, 2011

Week 5 of the NFL season still has one game left, and while it might shake up the power rankings a little, it won't change the fact that some teams have flocked together and are heading south for the winter.

There's still time to turn things around and jump back up in the power rankings, but for now, these teams have been fading fast in the NFL.

The sad part is that these three teams were expected to perform well, and a lot of folks picked them to win their division. They can still achieve that, but they're not helping themselves with how poorly they're playing.

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Philadelphia Eagles

We all know the Eagles were labeled the "Dream Team" to begin the season, but having lost four straight games, they've turned into the "Only In Our Dreams Team".

Michael Vick suffered a couple of injuries, which was honestly expected by most, but that isn't the only reason Philadelphia is 1-4 right now. Fans are panicking and aren't sure who to blame because of how much losing that's been going on in Philadelphia.

The defense has been atrocious at times, and the offensive line has consistently been such a problem that one has to wonder if they will ever get it fixed.

Vick is often running for his life, and the confidence this team had entering the season has vanished faster than a piece of cake in front of Vince Wilfork.

The Eagles can easily turn things around, but they'll continue to drop in the rankings if they can't play better and win games.

Atlanta Falcons

Known as the "dirty birds" at times, the Falcons haven't lived up to expectations this season. They were picked to win or reach the Super Bowl by a number of people, but at 2-3 on the year, they've reached their total number of losses from last season, and things aren't looking too good in Atlanta.

The Falcons have played well at times, but then they decide to drop whatever was working (the run game) and throw the ball way too much. We thought this would be an explosive offense, but that hasn't been the case at all.

The defense is less than stellar on a consistent basis, although they did play better than expected against Aaron Rodgers on Sunday night. I give them credit for that, but the chance of the defense consistently playing well this season is very slim.

That's just what this team has turned into so far, and it's very frustrating to watch. Great at times and then really bad at other times isn't going to take you very far.

With the NFC getting better and better, the Falcons need to get back to where they were a year ago or they're going to miss the playoffs.

Arizona Cardinals

At 1-4, these birds have been a big disappointment. What's sad is that they still have a chance in the NFC West because that division is just awful. The San Francisco 49ers may be 4-1 right now, but the division is still there for the taking.

They traded Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for Kevin Kolb, which hurt their defense, but they figured everything would be just fine because they finally had a legit quarterback and rookie Patrick Peterson would step up.

Peterson is doing OK, but Kolb has yet to prove he's the real deal. Throwing multiple interceptions in games is not what the Cardinals thought they'd be getting. It sure didn't help that Arizona only gave Kolb one reliable receiver in Larry Fitzgerald. Had they re-signed Steve Breaston, then the Cardinals would be in much better shape.

However, Kolb and the Cardinals have lost four straight, failing to beat the lowly Seahawks and a winless Minnesota team. The Vikings are the only team that blew them out, but in the other losses, Kolb failed when it mattered most.

All of these birds have time to improve and make the 2011 season count, but heading into Week 6, it's easy to see why they've been falling fast. A struggling defense and a lack of killer instinct has been the problem for these birds, but maybe as the weather changes, they can turn things around.

Eric Bowman’s 2011 NFL Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers

2. New Orleans Saints

3. New England Patriots

4. Baltimore Ravens

5. Detroit Lions

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

7. San Diego Chargers

8. Dallas Cowboys

9. Buffalo Bills

10. New York Jets

11. Chicago Bears