We are just five weeks through the 2024 NFL regular season, but there are franchises already feeling the pressure. So much so that one team has already made the move to fire its coach, as the New York Jets have moved on from Robert Saleh.
Whose coach could be next? The Jacksonville Jaguars became the last team to win a game this season, the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins envisioned better starts to their seasons, the Los Angeles Rams are struggling with injuries and the Cleveland Browns have a Deshaun Watson problem.
As we enter Week 6, who are the five NFL coaches sitting on the hottest seats? Let's take a look.
Honorable mentions
- Jonathan Gannon (Cardinals): Second-year coach I'm not ready to put on the list just yet.
- Mike McCarthy (Cowboys): He will probably coach out his contract.
- Mike McDaniel (Dolphins): Just landed a contract extension, and has had past success, but he must coach better -- and soon.
5. Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns)
Record with Browns: 38-34
Cleveland is apparently committed to running Watson out there week after week, despite the fact that it is blindingly obvious that he is no longer a starting-caliber quarterback. Given ownership's financial commitment to him, it seems like Watson will outlast Stefanski -- the two-time and reigning Coach of the Year -- at this point. If that wasn't going to happen, Stefanski probably would have been allowed to bench Watson by now.
4. Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears
Record with Bears: 13-26
The Bears' lead man ended the 2023 season on the hot seat after finishing 7-10, but he survived "Black Monday," and then the selection of Caleb Williams gave him some extra time as well. While Chicago did defeat the banged-up Rams this past week, that doesn't mean Eberflus is feeling incredibly comfortable.
The hiring of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was uninspiring to say the least, and three weeks into the season, he had to meet with the "team's leadership council" after his offense disappointed in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts, per ESPN. The play-calling overall has been questionable and the offensive line has struggled, leaving the defense to fend for itself at times.
The rookie quarterback has shown improvement over the past three weeks, and that's something that has to continue if Eberflus wants to keep his gig. Chicago entered 2024 with high expectations, which included a winning record. We'll see if the Bears can live up to the hype.
3. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
Record with Eagles: 36-19
The Eagles are a proud franchise with high expectations, but this Philly team has been hard to watch through four weeks. Jalen Hurts and Co. did defeat the Green Bay Packers in Brazil, but a questionable play call paired with a defensive collapse led to an embarrassing Week 2 loss at home to the Atlanta Falcons. Then, the Eagles needed a 15-point fourth quarter to defeat the New Orleans Saints in Week 3, and were blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 entering their bye.
It's true that the Eagles are missing several key players due to injury, such as A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Lane Johnson, but that doesn't give them an excuse to be dominated in all facets of the game. Against the Bucs, the offense didn't earn a first down until there was 6:28 remaining in the second quarter, while the offense allowed 445 yards of total offense from Tampa Bay. By the way, the Eagles defense ranked fourth worst in the league entering Week 5.
What's scary about the Eagles is that we've seen how fast things can unravel. A 10-1 start last year turned into an 11-6 finish and early postseason exit. Sirianni survived that collapse, but what if it happens again?
2. Brian Daboll, New York Giants
Record with Giants: 17-21-1
Daboll started off his head coaching career hot by winning NFL Coach of the Year following a 9-7-1 record in 2022. The Giants even upset the Vikings in the playoffs that year. It led to Daniel Jones scoring a multiyear extension, which may have been a mistake. Ever since putting pen to paper on that contract, Jones has gone 3-8 as the starter, and thrown eight touchdowns compared to nine interceptions.
In fact, Jones has not thrown a passing touchdown at MetLife Stadium since New Year's Day 2023 against the Colts. Overall, the Giants have gone four straight home games started by Jones without scoring a touchdown, which is the longest streak by any quarterback since at least 1950.
Can their Week 5 upset win in Seattle jump-start this team? We need to see an offensive turnaround if Daboll wants to keep his job. Maybe it's possible with a player like Malik Nabers, who was on fire until sitting out Week 5 with a concussion.
1. Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
Record with Jaguars: 19-20
Pederson was asked a question pertaining to worrying about his "status" as coach following a fourth straight loss to start the season, and he was completely caught off guard by it.
"My status? I mean, no," Pederson said. "That's kind of a strange question, but OK."
Doug Pederson seems very confused and believes it’s very strange that he’s being asked about his job status after the Jaguars fall to 1-9 in their last 10 games pic.twitter.com/8Q8AcvsrgE
— NFL Memes (@NFLHateMemes) September 29, 2024
Well, if there's one coach on the hot seat right now, I would imagine it's Pederson but his seat might have cooled a bit following the Jaguars' first win of the season. The Jaguars are 2-9 over their past 11 games after starting the 2023 season 8-3. The only two wins in that span came against the lowly Carolina Panthers and the Colts. The Jags have lost six straight road games, and that includes the embarrassing 47-10 loss to the Bills in prime time. According to the Florida Times-Union, someone close to Jaguars owner Shad Khan said he was "angrier than I have ever seen Shad" following the brutal Buffalo beatdown.
