Rams, Eagles in same boat this season

~ Both teams enter today's game at 5-8.

ST. LOUIS -- A few months ago, the St. Louis Rams would have been overjoyed to know they'd have the same record as the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles at this stage of the season.

"It definitely would have sounded good," Rams middle linebacker Trev Faulk said.

Now, it looks like a cruel joke. The matchup was downgraded from prime late afternoon status a few weeks ago and now it's just another lackluster game in a long season.

The Eagles, decimated by injuries and the Terrell Owens soap opera, are 5-8 and playing out the string. The same goes for the Rams, minus head coach Mike Martz most of the year and Marc Bulger the last four weeks and perhaps the rest of the way.

Three games to go, with backups everywhere and especially at quarterback, and both teams are playing for nothing but pride. Finish with a rush and hope to get to .500.

"It's always about being professional," Rams wide receiver Isaac Bruce said. "You don't just go and say 'OK, I'm going to box it up right now.' If the organization decided to box it up and box your paycheck up, too, what would happen?"

Both teams are stumbling to the finish line. The Eagles have lost six of seven after falling in overtime to the Giants last week, lost Donovan McNabb for the year in mid-November and two weeks ago got crushed 42-0 by the Seahawks.

Safety Brian Dawkins, in his 10th season, remembers this kind of thing happening a long time ago.

"I'm pretty sure it's a complete shock for most of the young guys, and the guys who have only known one thing, and that's going to the playoffs and going to the championship games," Dawkins said. "I've been down this road before, I've seen us struggle through a season or two."

Both teams are largely unrecognizable, too.

On offense alone, five Eagles starters plus heavily used backup running back Correll Buckhalter are out for the season. Four players who'll be in the lineup today played their first down in the NFL this year, and Philadelphia has utilized 35 starters in all.

The injuries have been more debilitating than the off-field distractions.

"If we had all those things and were still winning, then everything would be fine," Dawkins said.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said the only season that's been tougher for him was his rookie year.

"That first year was quite a ride," he said. "Obviously you don't want to be in this position right now, but that's where we're at and we have to play our best football now."

The Rams got some early momentum from interim coach Joe Vitt, but have lost four of five.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, the rookie quarterback from Harvard, has zero touchdown passes the last two weeks and threw five interceptions last week in a 27-13 loss to the Vikings. The defense has been a perennial problem, ranking near the bottom of the NFL and allowing 29 points per game.

Fitpatrick starts again this week because, error-prone or not, he gives the Rams a better chance to win than 35-year-old backup Jamie Martin.

"I felt comfortable during that game even though there were a lot of interceptions," Fitzpatrick said. "I still have a lot of confidence and guys have come up to me and said they have a lot of confidence in me, so I believe we'll get it done this week."

The Rams have been just as shorthanded as the Eagles. Both cornerbacks are out for the season, along with linebacker Dexter Coakley, both starting wide receivers have missed significant time and Bulger likely is out for the season with his fourth shoulder injury in two seasons.

This is unusual territory for both teams. The Rams are out of the postseason picture for only the second time in seven years.

"Even in the past when we didn't make the playoffs at this point in time we were still fighting and still had a chance," center Andy McCollum said. "I've been there before, way back.

"It's not where we want to be, but you've got to be able to make the best of it."

It's been a more precipitous falloff for the Eagles, who lost in the Super Bowl last year after going 13-3. The Rams were 8-8 in 2004.

The Eagles don't believe it's a bad case of Super Bowl hangover.

"It's funny to say this about anything," Reid said. "You have to learn from it, from the bad things, try not to let it happen again, and move on."