It's been a rough start to the 2022 season for the Philadelphia Phillies, who currently sit at 21-27, good for third place in the National League East. The Phillies are 3-7 in their last 10 and were just swept on the road by the division-rival New York Mets, who look poised to run away with the NL East crown.

The Phillies have frustratingly found ways to lose, sometimes collapsing when the game was firmly in their hands. Such occurrences have led to calls for manager Joe Girardi's job.

While Girardi, who has made some questionable decisions, is certainly not blameless, it is a bit early to be speculating about firing a manager just 48 games into a 162-game season. Such is the way of fans, though, especially after a promising offseason.

Given the way the bullpen has continued to blow leads and the offense disappeared for stretches of games, it's understandable why Phillies fans would be smashing the panic button.

However, that's a bit premature. Yes, it's ok to be concerned. However, Phillies fans should keep their panic buttons closed away, for now. Here's why.

Why Philles Fans Shouldn't Panic After Rough 2022 Start

3. The NL East is a bad division- and the expanded playoffs spell opportunity 

Besides the 32-17 Mets, the NL East isn't exactly setting the world on fire. The defending-champion Atlanta Braves have largely looked like a shell of the team that stormed to a title last fall, as they are just 23-25.

The Miami Marlins, who boast the division's best pitching staff, don't quite have the lineup to match- and feel like they're a year or two away from contention.

The 18-31 Nationals are staring a rebuild directly in the face and won't be making any waves as a contender in 2022. While the NL East crown might be a stretch for the Phillies and their fans to strive for, the expanded playoffs format certainly keeps postseason hopes alive.

As part of the new collective bargaining agreement, the league announced that there would be 12 playoff spots for the taking, adding an extra wild card berth.

Even with their rough start, the Phillies are still just five games back of the San Francisco Giants for the third wild card spot at the time of print.

With four months of baseball left to be played in the 2022 season, that is plenty of time to make up ground on that deficit. Things seem bleak, yes, though it's not quite time to panic.

2. The strengths of this Phillies team are as good as any team in the MLB

As many Phillies fans know, the strengths of this team are its lineup and starting pitching, with the glaring weaknesses being the bullpen and defense.

Led by last year's NL MVP Bryce Harper, the Phillies' lineup ranks inside the top-10 in runs scored, home runs and OPS. Those stellar numbers have largely come with average production from the likes of key sluggers, such as catcher J.T. Realmuto and first baseman Rhys Hoskins.

If those two can get going and begin to match the production the Phillies have seen from Harper, Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber, this lineup could start to look even better.

On the pitching side of things, the Phillies' starters have posted a 3.96 ERA, which ranks inside the top-15, and have recorded 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranks fifth. In the statistic Wins Above Replacement, the Phillies' starters rank second to only the New York Yankees.

With Zach Wheeler resembling his excellent 2021 self, Aaron Nola enjoying a bounce-back and Zach Eflin quietly enjoying the best season of his career under the surface, this Phillies staff is as good as any in the big leagues.

There are only a select few teams in the MLB that can say they boast elite-level starters and a powerful lineup that can score runs with the best of them. The Phillies' strengths are bound to show up more frequently in the win column in the rest of the 2022 season.

1. The Phillies have already shown their full potential

Fans have already seen what this team can accomplish when they're at their best. During a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in May, the Phillies secured three of four games while scoring 33 runs against one of the better pitching staffs in baseball.

They went head-to-head against the best team in the National League, not only living to tell the tale but holding their own in the process.

That's the way this Phillies team can play when they're on. That's why it's still too early for Phillies fans to panic. If the MLB trade deadline in August rolls around and the Phillies are still six games under .500, then fans can throw in the towel on the 2022 season.