5 NFL Head Coaches Firmly on the Hot Seat During 2023 Season

Halfway through the 2023 NFL season, there are a few head coaches who have really stood out. Dan Campbell has the Detroit Lions looking like contenders, first-year lead man DeMeco Ryans has the Houston Texans in position to go from worst to first in the AFC South and Kevin O’Connell has the Minnesota Vikings on the longest active win streak in the league, even with Kirk Cousins done for the year.

While some NFL head coaches are thriving, others are … wilting. Those are the men we are going to discuss today. Below, we will break down the top five head coaches who are firmly on the hot seat.

Welcome to the hot seat rankings, Mr. Reich. The Panthers brought in Reich, traded a bunch of draft capital for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and selected Bryce Young out of Alabama. Is it possible all three of those decisions were bad ones? The Panthers now appear to be the worst team in the NFLsitting at 1-8. And they don’t even have their first-round pick in next year’s draft to help in the rebuild.

Carolina statistically has the third-worst offense in the NFL, some of its free agency signings such as DJ Chark, Miles Sanders and Hayden Hurst haven’t exactly worked out, and the defense has injuries at all three levels. It’s been a disaster, which is why protests were being planned in the streets of Charlotte.

Now, it’s true that this is Reich’s first season with Carolina, but The Athletic reports that team owner David Tepper is frustrated by the offense and the fact that there’s been no improvement:

“Some in the building believe the roster hasn’t been built correctly, while others criticize the offense overall. This is an offense some league sources have described as ‘boring,’ ‘predictable’ and even ‘lifeless.'”

The fan base and the front office (and me) thought the Panthers were going to be better than what they currently look like. Maybe Reich will get a second year, but Tepper and the fan base are pissed off watching an anemic offense each Sunday while C.J. Stroud continues to dice up defenses for the Texans. Reich is absolutely under pressure, because the 2023 campaign has been rough.

The 2023 season has been terrible for the Patriots, but it’s still wild to write “Bill Belichick” on a hot seat list. Belichick is a tricky case, because a recent report indicates the NFL legend won’t be fired soon. However, that doesn’t mean the organization is happy and that Bill is feeling no pressure.

NFL Media reported Sunday that Robert Kraft is not inclined to fire Belichick during the 2023 season. It makes sense that he should be treated differently, but what happens this offseason? If Belichick wants to continue coaching, the Patriots could trade him. Kraft reportedly wants some sort of compensation for Belichick’s services, which makes sense.

The Patriots are 2-8. New England didn’t have eight losses in a single season from 2001-19. Belichick is 27-33 without Tom Brady, and this is undoubtedly the worst it’s ever been. It feels like his tenure as New England’s lead man is coming to an end because of how this year has gone.

3. Matt Eberflus (6-21 with Chicago Bears)

The Bears scored a much-needed victory over the Panthers this past week and the team is operating with an undrafted D-II quarterback, so you aren’t going to see an inordinate amount of vitriol directed at Eberflus on social media, but it’s still a question if he’s the leader Chicago wants long term.

The Bears were the worst team in the NFL last year despite some exciting Justin Fields highlights, and Chicago is again in the running for the No. 1 overall pick this year at 3-7. The Bears have already matched their 2022 win total, but the optimism surrounding Fields has now faded. Throw in the fact that the Bears defense hasn’t been great, and we could have a coaching change in Chicago this offseason.

Eberflus entered Week 10 tied in having the worst record (5-21) and most points allowed per game (27.1) in the NFL over the past two seasons. It seems like this year has been a bit messy behind the scenes for Chicago, as the Bears have already parted ways with running backs coach David Walker and defensive coordinator Alan Williams in instances that led to plenty of speculation. Winning fixes everything, but Chicago hasn’t done much of it.

Rivera entered this season on the hot seat, and I’m not sure anything has changed. Last year, he chose Carson Wentz as his quarterback, a decision he was criticized for from the jump, and even reinserted him back into the lineup after Taylor Heinicke resurrected the season. That choice led to Washington being eliminated from the playoffs.

The past is the past, and Josh Harris’ purchase may be something that buys Rivera some time. But the Commanders are clearly rebuilding after selling Chase Young and Montez Sweat at the trade deadline. Now, the franchise will have to decide if Rivera is the one they want leading them into this new era.

The Commanders have lost six of their last eight games after starting the year 2-0, and have defeated just one team above .500. That was the Atlanta Falcons (who are now 4-6). They also lost to the hapless New York Giants and Chicago Bears, who are both in the running for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The most recent loss to the Seattle Seahawks was certainly deflating, as Dyami Brown’s epic 35-yard touchdown to tie the game with 52 seconds remaining was for naught, since Geno Smith then led the Seahawks 50 yards down the field on seven plays to set up a game-winning field goal. Rivera is a defensive-minded coach, but his defense is fourth worst in yards allowed (380.9 per game) and second worst in scoring (27.4 points allowed per game).

NFL passing yards leader Sam Howell has legitimate potential, but he’s on pace to be sacked an NFL-record 80 times. Could a change be coming in Washington?

The Chargers have a legitimate franchise quarterback, but haven’t been able to accomplish anything with him. I’m not here to argue Justin Herbert’s “clutchness” or lack thereof, but the fact is he’s just never had a defense — despite his head coach being hired for his defensive background.

Sunday’s loss to the Lions was the perfect example of a “Justin Herbert game.” He threw four touchdowns, one interception, put up 38 total points … yet still lost. The Chargers have scored 1,502 points in Herbert’s 59 career starts, and allowed exactly 1,502 points. The Chargers are 1-3 when scoring at least 30 points since the start of last postseason. To put that in perspective, the rest of the NFL is 64-9.

Parting ways with Staley would have made sense after last year’s historic loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the playoffs. L.A. gave him another shot, and it doesn’t feel like things are getting any better.

2023-11-14 22:29:00
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