National Football League

NFL Hot Seat: 5 coaches who must win in Week 5

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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FanSided’s weekly NFL Hot Seat column takes a look at five head coaches who need to get a win in Week 5, including one who was in the Super Bowl last year.

As the 2016 NFL regular season continues, owners and general managers are already starting to get frustrated with their respective franchises’ head coaches. In fact, there are some teams that could be parting ways with their coaches in the very near future.

The NFL Hot Seat is going to be getting hotter and hotter each week, and as we head into Week 5, there are a few coaches that absolutely must win in order to keep their jobs after 2016.

Oct 2, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is shown on the sideline in the third quarter of their game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 48-33. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

5. Ron Rivera – Carolina Panthers

It almost doesn’t seem fair to put a head coach who led his team to the Super Bowl just last season on this list. Unfortunately, the Carolina Panthers are playing about as well as a team can when their secondary is made of swiss cheese.

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Seriously, have you seen that pass defense? That Panthers gave up 300 receiving yards to Julio Jones last week. Apparently, they didn’t think it would be a good idea to double or triple team him when he continued to destroy them. Former Panthers cornerback Josh Norman is even taking shots at his old team, pouring salt on the wound.

At 1-3, the Panthers’ playoff hopes are starting to get more and more unrealistic, especially with the way the Atlanta Falcons are playing in the NFC South. Head coach Ron Rivera has to be sweating a little bit.

The Panthers have a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday that they’re expected to win, even if Cam Newton is sidelined with a concussion. Regardless of who plays quarterback, if the Panthers lose and go 1-4, Rivera is going to have to answer a lot of questions.

Aug 19, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles on looks on against the Washington Redskins during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

4. Todd Bowles – New York Jets

Remember when the New York Jets almost made the playoffs last season? Those were the days. Now, the Jets are 1-3 and it’s looking a whole lot like the New York Jets of old.

Just four weeks into the season and there’s (surprise!) already a quarterback controversy. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who signed a one-year deal worth $12 million this offseason, has thrown a whopping nine interceptions in the past two games.

Nine interceptions. That’s so bad that even Brett Favre is probably somewhere thinking, “man, that guy has to make better decisions with the football”. Meanwhile, Geno Smith is sitting on the bench wondering how much worse Fitzpatrick has to play for him to even get a chance at playing under center.

Todd Bowles looked like the right fit for the Jets last season, but 2016 is quickly getting out of hand for this team. The defense is loaded with young talent, but the unit keeps getting put into bad situations thanks to all of the turnovers from the offense.

This week, the Jets will be taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game where the defense absolutely needs hold its ground. Unfortunately, that job will get a whole lot harder as long as Fitzpatrick is throwing multiple interceptions every week.

The Jets aren’t expected to win this game, but if the Jets start the season 1-4, management might start thinking about moving on from Bowles.

Oct 2, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Mularkey on the sideline during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

3. Tennessee Titans

When I see the Tennessee Titans do something I can’t wrap my head around, I find myself yelling out, “That’s a bunch of malarkey!“. It just seems so fitting considering their head coach is named Mike Mularkey.

The Titans can’t seem to figure it out this year. Their sole win came against a less-than-stellar Detroit Lions team thanks to a late go-ahead score. Meanwhile, they have lost to the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans.

Those aren’t exactly terrible teams, but a 1-3 start is less than ideal for a head coach that’s gone 3-10 in his tenure with the franchise. It might not be fair to judge Mularkey after less than a full season, but when your offense has players like Marcus Mariota, DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry on it, you should at least be able to put up some more highlights.

This week, the Titans will be taking on a pretty bad Miami Dolphins team. Mularkey has to understand that another loss would essentially end any hope that the Titans may have at an AFC South title. Then again, winning the AFC South is a lot like being a 30-year-old winning a kids’ pass-punt-kick competition.

The Titans are a mess, and that’ll continue to be the case until the team can find a legitimate coach that can inspire his players and build a roster filled with legitimate talent.

Oct 2, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers head coach Mike McCoy reacts during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

2. Mike McCoy – San Diego Chargers

Seriously, how the hell is Mike McCoy still employed? The San Diego Chargers have been a laughingstock the past two seasons, going a combined 5-15 during that span. His first two seasons in San Diego weren’t stellar either, going 9-7 both years despite having a ton of talent to work with.

The Chargers shouldn’t be a bad team. Philip Rivers is a fantastic quarterback, Melvin Gordon is developing into a solid running back and the rest of the roster has some really nice pieces. Unfortunately, injuries have decimated the team this year, with season-ending injuries to guys like Manti Te’o, Danny Woodhead and Keenan Allen.

Injuries may let McCoy keep his job, but they shouldn’t. I mean come on, this is a team that had a stellar reputation as a consistent playoff contender early in Rivers’ career. From 2004 to 2009 this team won 4 of 5 AFC West titles while going a combined 67-29 in the regular season.

The Chargers are now a laughingstock and are facing a potential 1-4 start with a game on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. Things won’t get much better after this week with upcoming weeks against Denver, Atlanta and then Denver again in a three-game span.

Sorry (not that sorry), McCoy, but if you can’t win against Oakland, you’re probably not going to have a job after 2016.

Sep 1, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano against the Cincinnati Bengals in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. The Colts won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

1. Chuck Pagano – Indianapolis Colts

Congratulations, Chuck! Only five weeks into the season and you’ve already been on the weekly NFL Hot Seat column more than any other head coach. That’s pretty impressive.

It has been a rough week for Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson. Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier went in on the coach-GM duo earlier this week, blaming both for the team’s struggles. Media criticism is part of the job, but now even beloved former Colts receiver Reggie Wayne is calling the front office out.

Colts fans are upset, and rightfully so. The team has failed to build around Andrew Luck, with management content with poor drafting and terrible free agency decisions. Even at 1-3, Pagano is confident in “sticking with the process“, and over the past few seasons that process clearly hasn’t been working.

Despite the struggles, the Colts still are very much alive in the AFC South race. However, a loss against a terrible Chicago Bears team could all but spell the end of the Pagano era in Indianapolis. Chuck is an amazing and inspirational guy, but he is not an NFL-caliber head coach.