4 Early-Season NFL Favorites That Will Miss the Playoffs

It's hard to believe, but we are already six weeks into the 2019 NFL season, and the true contenders are beginning to separate themselves from the pretenders.

Coming into the year, pundits and skeptics believed there to be a handful of teams capable of competing for a Super Bowl. As always, however, several teams end up disappointing in defiance of their significant talent.

Let's examine some of these underwhelming squads, shall we?

4. Atlanta Falcons

What on earth is head coach Dan Quinn doing still being employed by the Falcons? We knew the defense had issues coming into the year, but Quinn is supposedly a defensive whisperer. His "wizardry" should have been enough to lessen the burden on Matt Ryan and Julio Jones on offense in 2019. Instead, Atlanta sits at 1-5, tied with the Redskins in the basement of the NFC. Simply put, Quinn's side was supposed to contend with the Saints in the NFC South. That's been anything but the case. The Falcons have surrendered 31 points per game, the second-worst figure in the league, only ahead of the woeful Dolphins. The once consistent postseason threat have promptly morphed into a laughingstock.

3. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams still have plenty of time to turn their season around, as they sit at a pedestrian 3-3 through six weeks. However, they are third in NFC West, two games behind the second-place Seahawks and three behind the undefeated 49ers. Sean McVay will likely be forced to continue to lean on the turnover happy Jared Goff as Todd Gurley is clearly not fully healthy. That concept should terrify each and every Rams fan after Goff's contaminated performance on Sunday versus San Fran. The NFC is loaded, and as things currently stand, the Rams are No.11 in the standings with their .500 record. LA's offensive line is arguably the worst in the league and their defense is essentially swiss cheese, especially following the loss of Aqib Talib.

2. Los Angeles Chargers

Can somebody please explain what is wrong with the Los Angeles Chargers? We know that they have endured a plethora of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but the fact that they are 2-4 through six weeks is nothing short of despicable. Believe it or not, this is the same squad that went 12-4 last year and hung 28 points on the Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round. Let us remind you that the Chargers let the Steelers, down to their third-string quarterback, utterly embarrass them on their home turf on Sunday night. And with Melvin Gordon failing to impress since his return, the Chargers' offense looks entirely stagnant as it stands.

1. Cleveland Browns

The No.1 spot HAD to go to the Browns, no? They were quite literally everybody's preseason darling and dark horse to challenge the likes of the Patriots and Chiefs in the AFC. Well, as things stand after six weeks, Cleveland is 2-4 and a full two games back of the Ravens in the AFC North. Their schedule down the stretch is markedly friendly, but Baker Mayfield has personified a magician in his second season in the NFL -- every time you think he's turned a corner, he turns the ball over and his three interceptions on Sunday proved lethal in his team's chances to defeat the Seahawks. He's thrown just five touchdowns to 11 interceptions and has played a significant role in the Browns' struggles.