The second quarter of the NFL season is officially underway, which means it’s time to start evaluating teams. There’s still five unbeaten teams, but on the flip side there are 18 teams under .500.

With that being said, here are four sub-.500 teams that are more capable than others to still reach the playoffs.

Seattle Seahawks – Midway through the third quarter during Sunday’s game in Cincinnati, it didn’t appear as if Seattle would make this column. The two-time reigning NFC champions led 24-7, but that lead quickly vanished as Andy Dalton began to pick apart the Seahawks secondary and Seattle would eventually lose in overtime, 27-24.

Despite the heartbreaking defeat, Seattle can take away a lot of positives from the first three quarters. With Marshawn Lynch out of the lineup, it was a welcomed sign to see rookie running back Thomas Rawls burst onto the scene. He rushed for 169 yards on 23 carries.

If Seattle’s defense can get back into their old habit of closing out games, this team will right the ship as the season progresses.

Dallas Cowboys – After starting off 2-0, America’s team has endured three consecutive defeats. A major reason for their decline is the absences of Tony Romo and Dez Bryant.

Romo isn’t expected to return until later in the season, however Bryant may be back sooner rather than later. The two-time Pro Bowler recently received an injection to help speed up the healing process.

“It has the potential to improve the healing time but more important gives him and everyone more confidence that when he comes back, at whatever the time is, it will be sounder and I think that was the overriding reason for doing it,” owner Jerry Jones stated. “It will be sounder even if he kept the same timeframe. It could easily speed it up, but if not, what you’re always going to be worried about [is] if you wait another week maybe you’ve got less chance of reinjuring it or basically rushing it. That will give us more peace of mind on rushing it.”

Dallas’ schedule is brutal, but if they can just keep their head above water until their stars return, they’ll be able to compete for a wild card spot or the NFC East title.

Oakland Raiders – The season started off so promising for this young and talented Oakland squad. Unfortunately for Raider nation, the team has started to falter over the past couple of weeks.

It all began last week against the Chicago Bears, who were winless at the time. On paper, it was a game Oakland should’ve won, but their inexperience showed on the road.

As the season progresses, this is a team that should only get better under the tutelage of head coach Jack Del Rio.

Philadelphia Eagles – If you’re an individual that puts tons of stock into preseason production, you would’ve expected this Eagles offense to be one of the greatest ever. Nonetheless, Philly’s offense has been slowed down for the most part.

The major reason for their inefficient play has been the offensive line. However, Sunday’s 39-17 drumming of New Orleans may have been the performance they needed to get things rolling.

Head coach Chip Kelly realizes the key is the offensive line.

“You know, I thought that was the key; we talked about being able to establish the run and then things can build off of that,” Kelly explained. “But I credit those guys up front, I think they had a good week of preparation and they did a really nice job today.”

As of right now, everyone in the NFC East has a chance to take the division crown, but the Eagles may actually be in the best position moving forward.