Ralph Vacchiano
nfl reporter
At this point in the season, there’s really no need to rush.
It is too late for the act of firing a head coach to affect the team’s season. And most owners have probably already accepted that the situation could get even worse. If they’re going to endure the pain of a disappointing season for this long, even if everyone knows change is coming soon, what’s another month worth?
As a result, three NFL coaches who were fired this season – Robert Saleh (Jets), Dennis Allen (Saints), and Matt Eberflus (Bears) – will be fired between now and the end of the season in January. There is a possibility that 5.
But on Jan. 6, the NFL’s Black Monday, there could be a lot of friends on the streets.
Below are the updated FOX Sports rankings of coaches in the most popular seats heading into Week 15:
1. Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars (Previous ranking: 1st)
In fact, the Jaguars came from behind to beat the Tennessee Titans 10-6 on Sunday. They won on the road without their starting quarterback, but needed a fourth-quarter touchdown drive to do so. Impressive. In fact, it was a reason to celebrate — except for those rooting for the Jags, who landed the No. 1 draft pick for the third time in the past five years.
That pretty much sums up the Jaguars’ 3-10 season, where even wins feel like losses to fans. They know what’s going to happen the next day of the season. It would be a shock if Pederson wasn’t fired, considering he’s 4-15 since the beginning of December of last year (when the team went 8-3). I really can’t believe he hasn’t been fired yet. It would be a huge surprise to everyone in the NFL if that didn’t happen on January 6th.
2. Brian Daboll (New York Giants) (Previous ranking: 3rd place)
He has rocketed up the ranks on this list in recent weeks, and he might have been No. 1 if it weren’t for the fact that he got a formidable “vote of confidence” from owner John Mara a few weeks ago. I don’t know. Multiple sources continue to report this. Mara insists he really doesn’t want to fire another head coach. But they all add a similar caveat: “Unless he is embarrassed.”
Now, is this embarrassing? Before Sunday’s game, fans hired a plane to hang a banner over the Meadowlands that read, “Mara, enough is enough. Please fix this dumpster fire.” There were so many empty seats in the stadium that fans could pick them up on the secondary market for $1 an hour before the game. And the Giants (2-11) lost to an inferior Saints team after a game-winning field goal attempt was blocked.
The worst thing about Daboll is that he was hired for his offensive mind, and the Giants are averaging 14.9 points per game this season, more than any other team in the league. 2.1 points less. They obviously have quarterback issues and injury issues, but still not enough is said about his coaching ability.
The Giants also still have two home games remaining, including this weekend’s matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. Therefore, more embarrassing things may happen in the future.
3. Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders (previous ranking: 2nd)
There were a lot of expectations for the Raiders a year ago when they finished 5-4 under then-interim coach, but it all turned into a 2-11 disaster. It’s hard to imagine an unproven manager surviving a season like this, but there are a few things that might work in his favor.
One is that most of the Raiders’ problems revolve around the quarterback position. And since there’s a pretty good chance they’re high enough to get one in the draft, it’s possible that owner Mark Davis will give Pierce a chance to show what he can do with a talented player at the position. be. It also helps Pierce that Davis has had four different coaches in the last four years. That’s a trend he definitely wants to break.
Also, these Raiders play hard for Pierce, but it just doesn’t work out. Will that be enough as they face a nine-game losing streak that could soon reach 13? Probably not. But it might at least make Davis stop and think.
4. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys (previous ranking: 4th)
For some reason, the Cowboys actually believed they could come late in the playoffs against all odds. But that all came crashing down Monday night in typical Leon Lett fashion. They blocked a punt late in the fourth quarter that would have set them up in field goal range for the win…if cornerback Amani Oruwariye hadn’t fumbled trying to pick up the loose ball, it would have gone right back to the Bengals. It would be.
With this, the boys’ hopes for a 5-8 record are all but dashed. Owner Jerry Jones seemed pretty annoyed about the play and calling for a punt block at that point, but he also continues to praise McCarthy’s work. McCarthy’s contract still expires at the end of the season, so he might just be being kind. However, many players seem to want McCarthy to stay.
Maybe Jones wants to see how the season plays out and how his players fare for McCarthy in the final four games. Maybe he’s just thinking. But time is certainly ticking and losses are mounting.
5. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (previous ranking: 5th)
If the Bengals had lost Monday night, he might have been moved ahead of McCarthy. Watching Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase toy with opposing defenses, it’s still remarkable that this team found a way to break up so many close games at 5-8.
They are currently 2-4 in their last six games and nearly shut out of the postseason. They’re also 2-7 in games decided by a touchdown or less, where better coaching and strategy could have made the difference. The Bengals are often the lowest-paid team in the NFL, so it’s still possible Taylor keeps his job just because the owner doesn’t want to pay another coach — even if it’s around the NFL. It seems like more and more people think it should.
To be fair to Taylor, it was only two years ago that the Bengals appeared in back-to-back AFC Championships, and the year before that they were in the Super Bowl. But in today’s NFL, especially the way the Bengals are playing right now, it feels like an eternity.
6. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (previous ranking: 6th)
To be honest, he probably wouldn’t be on this list anymore if three NFL head coaches hadn’t already been fired. No, the Browns haven’t been great this season (3-10), but they’ve lost games to Denver and Pittsburgh the past two weeks, and actually beat the Steelers in the snow three weeks ago.
That’s not bad considering they’re playing without a starting quarterback.
The real problem is that their quarterback, Deshaun Watson, returns next season and remains effectively locked into the organization for at least another year, maybe two. So far, Stefanski hasn’t shown the ability to make Watson play as well as he did before owner Jimmy Haslam gave him that wild contract.
Probably no one can at the moment. Perhaps that’s why Stefanski is coming back to try again. Of course, his seat has to be at least a little warmer, as this is the third time in five seasons he’s missed the playoffs.
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants, jets He spent 16 years covering the Giants and NFL for SNY TV in New York and before that for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter @RalphVacchiano.
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