Dennis Allen – New Orleans Saints
After starting the season off 2-0 and scoring 91 points through those two games, the Saints’ season has gone off the side of a cliff. Dennis Allen narrowly avoided being fired after the end of last season which ultimately placed him under a considerable amount of pressure for this campaign.
Barring a drastic change of direction, New Orleans will miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, leaving Allen virtually guaranteed to be replaced. However, do not be surprised if Allen is let go even sooner than that. A loss this week to the lowly Panthers might be enough to see Allen relieved of his duties on Monday morning.
Doug Pederson – Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have been one of the biggest disappointments of 2024. Currently sitting at 2-6, their upcoming stretch of games against the Eagles, Vikings, Lions, and Texans could easily see them fall to a mark of 2-10. If things end up getting that bad, we will certainly see some major changes take place in Duval County.
Doug Pederson has proven in the past that he is a good coach. He is, after all, one of only seven active head coaches who has won a Super Bowl. With that being said, Pederson’s time in Jacksonville has appeared to have run out. Since starting 8-3 in 2023, the Jaguars have posted an abysmal record of 3-11. With the brutal upcoming schedule, it is hard to envision Jacksonville turning their season around and vying for a playoff spot, which Pederson would probably need to do to keep his job.
Kevin Stefanski – Cleveland Browns
Stefanski bought himself some time with last week’s 29-24 victory over the Ravens. However, refusing to bench Deshaun Watson for Jameis Winston earlier on in the season now looks like a big mistake after Winston finished last Sunday’s game going 27 of 41 for 334 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. The upcoming schedule for Cleveland is manageable, with winnable games against the Chargers and Saints coming on opposite sides of their Week 10 bye week.
Like Pederson, Stefanski has proven himself to be a quality head coach. He has two Coach of the Year Awards under his belt, winning in 2020 and 2023. Stefanski is also the only coach to lead the Browns to playoffs since 2003, doing so in each of the two seasons he won Coach of the Year. It is safe to assume that Stefanski has earned himself some degree of safety unless the Browns end up reverting back into their abysmal early season form.
Zac Taylor – Cincinnati Bengals
It wasn’t long ago that it looked like the Bengals were going to be a perennial Super Bowl contender. After making the Super Bowl in 2021 and then making it back to the AFC Championship the following season, Cincinnati surprisingly missed the playoffs in 2023; although that season can be considered a wash because of Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury.
Now in 2024, Cincinnati is 3-5 and Burrow is perfectly healthy (and even having one of his best ever seasons from a statistical perspective). So, where does the blame go for the Bengals’ underwhelming record? Taylor has been the head coach in Cincinnati since 2019, presiding over a 2-14 team in his first season before making the Super Bowl just two seasons later. The arrival of Burrow in 2020 was obviously the catalyst for that turnaround. The wins have been harder to come by of late, leaving Taylor one of the more likely scapegoats.
Mike McCarthy – Dallas Cowboys
Mike McCarthy has become no stranger to being under pressure during his tenure as the head coach in Dallas. Despite having three consecutive 12-5 seasons, McCarthy’s name was never too far removed from the hot seat during that span. In all likelihood, the Cowboys won’t be going 12-5 this year. Finishing in the top two in the NFC East also looks like a tough ask with Washington and Philadelphia both looking like serious threats.
Even if Dallas shocks everyone and finds a way to make the playoffs, would McCarthy even survive another first round playoff exit? The fact is that Jerry Jones and the Cowboys’ fan base expect to be a Super Bowl contender and not merely a team that loses early in the playoffs every season. It would likely take a miracle for McCarthy to save his job.
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