National Football League

Ranking the 14 head coaches in the NFL's powerhouse playoff field

Updated Jan. 7, 2025 3:20 p.m. ET

There are some who believe that defenses still win championships in the NFL. Others are sure it's impossible without a true franchise quarterback leading the way. And still others will say it comes down to the trenches and dominating both lines of scrimmage.

But sometimes playoff success is more about the man at the top.

With most games coming down to the fourth quarter and no easy teams on the schedule, it takes a strong head coach to navigate the gauntlet of the postseason. Teams need a leader who can motivate his players, stay cool under pressure, push all the right buttons and make the right decisions. They need a coach who is not afraid of risk, but knows when not to take it.

And they need a coach who'll make the right call in the right spot with the game on the line.

So who are the best of those coaches in the current playoff field? It's a tough call, because the group of 14 this year includes some of the best coaches in the game. It includes eight who have led a team to a Super Bowl already, five who have won it, and one who won an NCAA championship.

But based on a combination of their championship history, their recent success, and what they've done with their teams this season, here is our ranking of all 14 head coaches in the 2024-05 postseason:

1. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

Big Red is a no-brainer for the top spot on this list, considering his record. He's won three Super Bowls in the past five years, been to four, and has taken the Chiefs to six straight AFC Championship games. And oh, by the way, he once took the Eagles to five NFC Championship games, too. The man knows how to win when it counts, as his 26-16 playoff record indicates. In 19 trips to the playoffs, his teams have won at least one game 14 times. He's an offensive whiz, too. He has had time management issues in the playoffs in the past, but that was more a Philly thing.

2. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos

Any thought that his success in New Orleans was more about Drew Brees than him was erased with the quick way he turned around the mess in Denver. He's always been known as a strong offensive mind and a Bill Parcells-like culture builder. But he reminded everyone that he's a heck of a game-day coach with how he guided the Broncos this season. He kept his rookie quarterback, Bo Nix, mostly out of trouble so they could keep winning until he developed more. And once he did, Payton made him the focus of his offense. The Broncos might be the least talented team in this field, but Payton's presence makes them a danger.

3. Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers

There's a reason the NFL was waiting for him to jump back to the pros. The younger of the two Harbaugh brothers has been a winner everywhere he's been. And it's not just that he turned around the Chargers in one year. Don't forget what he did in San Francisco, taking the 49ers to three straight NFC Championships and a Super Bowl with Alex Smith and then Colin Kaepernick at quarterback. He knows how to get the most out of his talent and keep his teams in games, maybe more than any coach in the league. And he has done that wherever he's been.

4. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams

The fact that all these years later teams are still searching for "The next Sean McVay" should tell you everything about this Rams' gem. He's been to two Super Bowls (winning one) and six postseasons in his eight years. And this year, after losing Hall of Fame DT Aaron Donald to retirement and dealing with a ton of injuries on offense, he navigated them to 10 wins, including a 5-1 run down the stretch. No coach wants to match wits with him at the end of a game and no one's offense is harder for defensive coordinators to figure out.

5. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

If you're listing the best coaches of the last two decades, he'd be in the group right behind Andy Reid and Bill Belichick on that list. No one has been consistently better, with no losing seasons and 12 trips to the playoffs in his 18 years. He gets the most out of his players and is a brilliant game-day coach who took a team quarterbacked by Kenny Pickett to the playoffs last season and coaxed 10 wins out of the Justin Fields-Russell Wilson combo this year. The lone knock is that it's been 14 years since his last trip to the Super Bowl and he hasn't had a lot of recent playoff success. They've been one-and-done in six of their last eight trips and haven't won a playoff game since 2016. This year's late collapse doesn't help his ranking either.

6. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

He beat his brother in Super Bowl XLVII, but he's lower on this list because his record has been spotty since then. He has gotten 10 wins out of his Ravens in six of the last seven seasons, but they've been one-and-done in three of their last five trips to the postseason. They won twice last year, but losing a very winnable AFC Championship Game to the Chiefs didn't bode well. He abandoned his powerful rushing attack in that game sooner than he should have, which was costly. It was a rare misstep, though, for a very good coach who is standing in an open championship window with quarterback Lamar Jackson on his team.

7. Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions

The resumé is short, but the legend is growing. He is a master motivator, who has had everyone believing in that left-for-dead franchise since the moment he arrived. And the fact that he turned them into a powerhouse in three years is nothing short of a miracle. He is also brilliant at preparing players, as shown by how they kept winning despite an avalanche of injuries this season. He might be too much of a gambler at times with his decisions, but his unapologetic, go-for-it mantra has paid off a lot. He'd probably be higher on this list, but it's hard to forget his team led the NFC Championship Game 24-7 at halftime last season, and then blew it all.

8. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles

He doesn't get nearly as much respect as he should for a coach with a 48-20 record, four trips to the playoffs and a Super Bowl in four seasons. That's probably because many feel the Eagles are so talented that anyone could coach them. Also, Sirianni is an acquired taste who ruffles a lot of outside feathers by acting like an overgrown fanboy on the sidelines. But his players love him and managing a team with that many all-stars isn't always easy. He listens to them, takes their suggestions, and manages their egos to perfection. And he has embodied the team identity of confidence, toughness and a refusal to be pushed around.

9. Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders

He has done an absolutely brilliant job in his first year in Washington molding together with what is essentially a brand new team. Getting them to rally around a rookie QB was easy because Jayden Daniels is so good, but he (and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury) were careful never to give him more than he could handle. Quinn is good at this. Don't forget, he once took the Falcons to the Super Bowl (and he'd be WAY higher on this list if they hadn't blown that 28-3, third-quarter lead to the Patriots). He's obviously a terrific defensive coach, but he's outside of that one Super example, his game-day management is pretty good too. So is his ability to get all his players to buy in.

10. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers

He might be the most underrated coach in the NFL because too often it's assumed it was easy to win with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback and then Jordan Love. Nobody doubts his ability to call and game-plan an offense and his game-day moves are generally good too. He's also been to the playoffs in five of his six seasons, been to two conference championships and been one-and-done only once. That said, he had Rodgers when the quarterback won back-to-back MVPs and he probably should've gotten one Super Bowl trip out of it. But LaFleur always manages to keep them in the hunt at least.

11. Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills

He probably deserves a higher spot, though keep in mind that eight of the 10 people above him have been to the Super Bowl, and a lot of NFL people think the Bills should've been there at least once in the past four years. Granted, they've run into a Michael Jordan-like roadblock in the Kansas City Chiefs. But his coaching decisions and game management have created issues in some of those postseason losses. In his defense, they have won at least one playoff game in each of the last four years. Unfortunately for him, with a quarterback like Josh Allen, he's going to inevitably be judged on whether he can lead the Bills to a Super Bowl or not.

12. DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans

The 40-year-old inherited a terrible Texans franchise two years ago and has won 10 games and reached the playoffs in both of his seasons. He even won a playoff game last year too, before bowing out in the divisional round. This year has been a struggle, but it's worth noting his team still pushed the Lions and Chiefs to their limits in the second half. He's a strong defensive tactician and knows how to put his players in position for success. He could rise quickly on this list in the coming years with a few more postseason wins.

13. Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

He has always been known as a brilliant defensive mind, but there have been constant questions about his abilities as head coach. Granted, a lot of that is left over from his five years with the Jets, a franchise that has become known for killing the careers of coaches. And he is taking the Bucs to the playoffs for the third straight year. But so far all he has to show for it is one win, last year against a collapsing Eagles team. And this year, with an offense that was rolling, the Bucs were hanging on to the playoffs by their fingernails at the end. He hasn't inspired a lot of confidence when games come down to decisions made by him.

14. Kevin O'Connell, Minnesota Vikings

Too low? Sure, it's hard to argue with his regular season results. He won 13 games with Kirk Cousins at quarterback two years ago and 14 with Sam Darnold at quarterback this year. So he's well-earned his reputation as a quarterback whisperer and an offensive genius and there's a reason he's so respected as a head coach. His big-game acumen, though, is still unknown. His team was terrible in his lone postseason game — a loss to the Giants in 2022. And he made several questionable decisions and play-calls in their huge game last Sunday night in Detroit with the NFC's top seed on the line. He's well-regarded and a lot of teams would love to have him on their side. But he'll need to show more in big games to compete with the big names on this list.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.