4 NFC teams still ahead of Atlanta Falcons and 3 they have passed

4. Philadelphia Eagles

How the Eagles went from a team going toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to losing to Baker Mayfield and the Bucs in round one was stunning. It is a major cause for concern, however, the talent on both sides of the ball demands this ranking.

Jalen Hurts and the offense have a myriad of ways to hurt you and when they are right are unstoppable. The defensive line is arguably the scariest in the league and should consistently put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

There is every reason to respect and fear Philly heading into the season. Atlanta will have an early matchup against the Eagles on the road in another game that will be a measuring stick. Hurts should be far better and there is an argument it will be the Eagles taking the division this season.

Atlanta could pass them if...

What we saw last season isn't the outlier but who this team is moving forward. Hurts follows the path of Carson Wentz and isn't able to regain full form after playing at an MVP level two seasons ago. Even in this scenario, the Falcons are going to have a tough road beating Philly based simply on the matchups in the trenches.

Still, the Falcons have already surpassed the Eagles if the team we watched at the end of last year is who this unit truly is. Considering the immense talent this seems incredibly doubtful.