With the NFL regular season almost over, these five head coaches need a win in Week 16 to avoid losing their jobs.
The hot seat is ramping up for a number of NFL head coaches as the season winds down, and there have already been a couple of casualties before the year has even ended.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher was the first to be shown the door, and now the Jacksonville Jaguars have parted ways with Gus Bradley. Unfortunately for some head coaches, these won’t be the last firings before the 2017 season begins.
With two head coaches already gone, here are five more who need to get a win in Week 16 to try and avoid getting canned after the season is over.
Dec 18, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano looks on during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Colts defeated the Vikings 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Chuck Pagano
Indianapolis Colts
I covered the Indianapolis Colts for three seasons, and I can safely tell you that there are some fans who are actually upset that this team blew out the Minnesota Vikings. The main reason for that is that it could help Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson keep their jobs.
The Colts are now 7-7 after last week’s 34-6 victory, but their chances of making the playoffs are quickly fading away. What’s worse is that the AFC South is still one of the weaker divisions in football, and yet the Colts still couldn’t even take advantage of that.
Some Colts fans were hoping that the team would lie down, fire Pagano and/or Grigson and start building a legitimate contender around Andrew Luck. Instead, the Colts are going to finish with a mediocre record and likely miss the postseason for the second straight year.
However, there’s still a chance that Pagano is gone after 2016, especially if the Colts don’t show up this week against a talented Oakland Raiders team. If Derek Carr and company tear the Colts to shreds, Pagano’s job security could come back into question.
Dec 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton reacts in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Saints defeated the Cardinals 48-41. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Sean Payton
New Orleans Saints
The future of the New Orleans Saints is starting to look bleak. The Saints defense is still one of the worst in the league, and future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees is nearing the end of his career at 37 years old.
There’s a very good chance that the Saints are going to want to start the rebuilding process sooner rather than later, and that could include parting ways with head coach Sean Payton. In fact, Jason La Canfora from CBS Sports reported earlier this week that the Saints could be trying to trade Payton away this offseason.
Even if teams don’t try to trade for Payton, the Saints will still likely part ways with him after the season is over. The Saints are just 6-8 this year and their defense currently ranks 30th in the league with 28 points allowed per game.
If the Carolina Panthers weren’t in a funk in 2016, the Saints could have very well been the worst team in the NFC South this year. If they can’t compete with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, then you can feel pretty confident that Payton will be coaching elsewhere in 2017.
Dec 18, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Green Bay defeats Chicago 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
John Fox
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are going to have one of the first picks in the 2017 NFL draft, and while that is a positive sign for the future, it could be bad news for John Fox.
At 3-11, the Bears have one of the worst records in the NFL with their only wins coming against the Lions, Vikings and the lowly 49ers. Their 17.7 points scored per game are tied for 28th in the league and there are very few positives on the roster outside of guys like Jordan Howard and Alshon Jeffery.
Does this mean that Fox’s time in Chicago is coming to a close? Possibly. In almost two full seasons with the Bears, Fox has gone 9-21 and what is likely to be two last-place finishes in the NFC North.
Two seasons might not be enough to judge Fox’s coaching performance in Chicago, but the NFL can be an unforgiving league for coaches who don’t win games. If the Bears get blown out by the Washington Redskins this week, then that could be the final nail in Fox’s coffin.
Dec 18, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis looks on from the sidelines in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. The Steelers won 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Marvin Lewis
Cincinnati Bengals
After last week’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals are now guaranteed to have their first losing season since 2010 with a 5-8-1 record. Despite being the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL behind Bill Belichick, this may finally be Marvin Lewis’ final season with the Bengals.
Since taking over as the head coach in Cincinnati back in 2003, Lewis has posted a 115-99-3 record in the regular season and an 0-7 record in the playoffs. The fact that the Bengals haven’t won a single playoff game in the decade-plus under Lewis should be reason enough to fire him, but for some reason the Bengals keep rolling with their head coach.
Seriously, is Lewis blackmailing the front office or something? There are few explanations as to why Lewis keeps sticking around and failing to help a very talented team take the next step.
The Bengals will be taking on a less than stellar Houston Texans team on Saturday. If Lewis racks up his 100th career loss this week, then it’s going to be even harder for the Bengals to have a reason to keep their head coach around.
Dec 11, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan leaves the field after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers at New Era Field. Steelers beat the Bills 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Rex Ryan
Buffalo Bills
After such a promising start to the season, the Buffalo Bills look like they’re going to be missing the playoffs for the 17th straight season. Rex Ryan was supposed to build the Bills into a legitimate playoff contender, but now it looks like his job is in jeopardy.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this week that the Bills are expecting to part ways with Ryan after the season is over. Although Ryan denied it, Schefter tends to be one of the more reliable NFL insiders out there, so this report sounds pretty legit.
Ryan and the Bills have been the definition of average in their nearly two seasons together, going 15-15. The Bills got their seventh win last week over the winless Cleveland Browns, and now they’ll have a chance to get an eighth win against a Miami Dolphins team that’s without Ryan Tannehill.
Losing Matt Moore would be embarrassing enough this week, but it could also be the last straw for Ryan.
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