Week 15 has ended, with the exception of Monday Night Football between the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks, with more than three-quarters of the 2023 NFL season remaining. First-year head coaches DeMeco Ryans and Shane Steichen have led the Texans and Colts to an 8-6 start, giving them a strong chance of earning a wild card spot in a closely contested AFC playoff field. But there are also many NFL head coaches who are on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of performance. The focus here is on their coaches.
Below, we rank the people who are squarely in the spotlight and at risk of losing their jobs in January. Three head coaches have already been fired this season: Josh McDaniels (Raiders), Frank Reich (Panthers), and Brandon Staley (Chargers). Here, we take a look at the top five coaches who meet the criteria for this hot seat and how they got to this point.
5. Arthur Smith (20-28 with Falcons)
Records for 2023: 6-8
Arthur Smith is the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive play-caller, but he doesn’t feel comfortable featuring three offensive skill position players that the team has drafted in the top 10 in each of the last three drafts. Tight end Kyle Pitts (4th overall pick in 2021), wide receiver Drake Rondon (8th overall pick in 2022), and running back Bijan Robinson (8th overall pick in 2023).
Smith has said in the past that his job as an NFL head coach is to find ways to win, not play fantasy football. But utilizing three of the team’s most talented playmakers could certainly help an offense that is averaging 18.4 points per game, seventh-worst in the league, in 2023. .
Atlanta’s season hit a record low in Week 15. A 9-7 loss to the NFL’s worst team, the 2-12 Carolina Panthers, likely ended their hopes of winning the NFC South title, and it appears to be their only path. postseason. The trio of Robinson, Rondon, and Pitts combined for just 75 scrimmage yards in the loss. The loss was the Falcons’ fourth since early November when they led in the fourth quarter, and the most in this period in the NFL.
Coach Smith’s quarterback of choice, Desmond Ridder, a player the team chose to prioritize development over chasing 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson this offseason, will be playing for a turn in the red zone this season. There were six overs, the most in the NFL. His six of these 20 perks are his third-most among players in the past 10 seasons. If his offense stagnates and he refuses to put the ball in the hands of his top players after three seasons without a playoff appearance, that could be grounds for dismissal.
4. Matt Eberflus (8-23 with Bears)
Records for 2023: 5-9
The Bears have lost 15 of quarterback Justin Fields’ last 18 starts, and Eberflus’ defense is allowing 23.5 points per game, 11th-most in the NFL. ing.
On offense, Luke Getsy seems to be lost as a play-caller, leaning heavily toward screen passes, with screen targets on 3.1% of his routes this season, the sixth-highest rate in the NFL. Wide receiver DJ Moore has thrived with the ball in his hands this season, but the offense has regularly struggled to get the ball to his advantage. At this point, it’s unclear whether Fields could be the long-term answer at quarterback, but this is partly because it didn’t put Fields in a better spot to be successful, or at least to be valued. It is also an indictment of the coaching staff and front office.
Thanks to a trade down with the Carolina Panthers last April, the team will likely stumble on the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but it’s possible Eberflus won’t be around to see what Chicago does with that pick. There’s plenty of sex too.
3. Robert Saleh (16-33 with Jets)
Records for 2023: 5-9
The 2023 season began with a lot of promise for the New York Jets, but as Week 15 came to a close, a nightmare scenario unfolded for Gang Green. Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback savior New York traded in the offseason and four-time NFL MVP, injured his Achilles tendon on the fourth play of the season.
Without Rodgers, the offense was terrible, averaging 14.4 points per game, third-fewest in the league. They needed a win against the Dolphins in Week 15 to stay in playoff contention, but they lost 30-0 and were embarrassed. This marks the 13th consecutive year the Jets have made the playoffs, making them the longest such streak among the four major North American professional sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL).Gang Green lost the match Rodgers needed a win to keep the door open for him to return to play. It’s a scathing indictment of how Saleh’s players feel about this season.
The offensive dysfunction is partially due to Saleh’s mismanagement of the quarterback position. He stuck with Zach Wilson despite performance issues until he was benched in Week 11. Career backup quarterback Tim Boyle, who was then declared the team’s new starter in Weeks 12 and 13, has started two of three games this season and has thrown 360 passes. yards for a touchdown and four interceptions. He then replaced Trevor Siemian on the bench in Week 13’s 13-8 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Coach Saleh reinstated Wilson into the starting lineup in Week 14. In Week 14, New York had its best offensive performance of the season, defeating the Houston Texans 30-6 in a game in which Texans quarterback CJ Stroud left early with an injury. Wilson tied a season high with two passing touchdowns.
Week 15 saw another confusing series of events regarding Gang Green’s quarterback position. Wilson left the game just before the end of the first half against Miami. ESPN reported as “dehydration symptoms”. However, Wilson did not re-enter the game as Siemian played the second half. Reports initially said Wilson was not participating in the NFL’s concussion protocol, but the Jets later announced that Wilson had indeed been tested for a concussion.
General manager Joe Douglas could also be largely responsible for how the Jets’ quarterback situation played out. The Vikings (7-7) and Browns (9-5) both signed and traded outside free agents to strengthen their quarterback positions. If the 2023 regular season ends today, both teams will advance to the postseason. Douglas’ insistence on giving Wilson, who ranked last in the NFL in passer rating in both 2021 and 2022, every opportunity to show something doomed New York’s offense.
The offense was also successful due to the offensive line built by Douglas. Their right tackle position is a turnstile, with former first-round pick Mekhi Becton struggling at left tackle after suffering an injury last season. The Jets allowed a quarterback pressure rate of 42.3%, the third highest in the NFL this season. His third-down conversion rate for the season was 25.5%, which would be the sixth-lowest in NFL history if this year ended today.
Saleh’s mainstay defense has remained a bright spot for the most part except for Sunday, but overall metrics have declined from last year to this year due to offensive incompetence. When Rodgers went down in Week 1, it seemed like Saleh would be given a mulligan this season. But Saleh’s seat may be warmer than originally thought after questions arose over who would replace Rodgers in 2023.
2. Ron Rivera (26 wins, 37 losses, 1 draw against managers)
Records for 2023: 4-10
Rivera’s time in Washington was far from easy. He was hired in 2020 and has dealt with uneven quarterback play throughout his tenure. He went from the late Dwayne Haskins, to Alex Smith after suffering a bad foot injury, to Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Garrett Gilbert, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Wentz, and now Sam Howell. I’ve been rotating. Rivera also had to deal with the debriefing of former owner Daniel Snyder, one of the league’s most troubled and hated owners in recent years.
The Commanders have not posted a winning record in Rivera’s four seasons at the helm, and their first postseason appearance was in 2020, when Washington won the NFC East with a 7-9 record. They lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card round.
Fast forward to this season and things go wrong once again. Rivera fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio after Washington entered Week 13 allowing a league-worst 29.2 points per game. He allowed 45 points in Washington’s 45-15 loss to the Dolphins in Week 13, but his return to defensive play did not go well.
It was only the second time in team history that a manager allowed 45 or more points in back-to-back games in Weeks 12 and 13, the only previous time such an event being in 1954. After starting 2-0, they have lost 10 of their last 12 games. Their secondary has struggled all year, allowing eight passing touchdowns of 50 yards or more, the most by any team in the last 30 seasons. Their 30.2 points per game allowed for the entire season ranks last in the NFL.
First-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, selected No. 16 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, was benched and inactive in the Week 13 loss to the Dolphins. He played just six defensive snaps in Washington’s 28-20 loss to the Rams. Week 15. He’s already struggling with one Commander’s Corner, Benjamin He’s Saint Juste too. His 828 passing yards allowed are the most in the NFL this season. Washington needs a reset, and with a new ownership group in town, Rivera will likely be shown the door after the season.
1. Bill Belichick (265-119 with Patriots)
Records for 2023: 3-11
Belichick’s defense is allowing a league-average 21.4 points per game in 2023, making this unit the 16th-ranked scoring defense in the NFL. But the offense he built — Belichick is also the de facto general manager — was the worst in football, averaging an NFL-worst 13.3 points per game.
With this, New England became the first team to lose three games in a row by giving up 10 or fewer points. The first time since the 1938 Chicago Cardinals did it nearly 100 years ago. This stretch occurred from Weeks 10 to 13 against the Colts (10-6 in Week 10), against the Giants (10-7 in Week 12), and against the Chargers (6-0 in Week 13). Occurred. The Patriots are 1-3 in 2023 when giving up 10 or fewer points per game, while the other 31 teams are a combined 53-0. The team has suffered two shutout losses this season, following a 6-0 home loss in Week 13 to the struggling Los Angeles Chargers, who fired head coach Brandon Staley. It’s the first time in a season of Belichick’s career.
During the Tom Brady era, the Patriots suffered two shutout losses in 20 seasons, including the postseason. The 3-11 start is the worst of Belichick’s coaching career and the worst for the Patriots since they finished 3-11 in 1993, the season before owner Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994. He started 14 games. The 11 losses are tied for the most this season. His head coaching career includes seasons under Bill Belichick, matching his loss totals in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns and his first season with the Patriots in 2000.
There was some leeway in the post-Brady era, considering Belichick won an NFL-record six Super Bowls with New England, but with the exception of a 10-7 season in 2021, the new England have lost the game in three of the last four years. Brady is gone. Between a lack of on-field success and a poor roster construction that forced Belichick to spend multiple free agency trips due to poor draft classes, his time in New England may be numbered. unknown.
Report by Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston It shows that Kraft has already made that decision and is just waiting for the season to end.