NFL Head Coach Hot Seat Report
With Halloween right around the corner, it’s fitting that the Grim Reaper may be (figuratively) knocking on the door of head coaches around the NFL. Carolina has already fired Matt Rhule even though he’s still owed $40 million, so who else could be kicked to the curbed?
Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders
It’s been three years of the Ron Rivera era in D.C. and the results have been mediocre at best. The Commanders have posted back-to-back seasons of seven wins with only one Wild Card appearance to show for it.
Now, the Commanders have started 1-4 and are on a four-game losing streak. As of now, the Commanders rank second to last in point differential in the NFL at -38.
Yikes.
To be fair, quarterback Carson Wentz is not helping matters. Wentz is third in interceptions (6) and sacks taken (20).
Considering wideout Terry McLaurin received a three-year, $68 million contract extension and defensive stud Chase Young is due for an extension after the 2023 season, the Commanders cannot afford to waste two franchise cornerstone’s talent, which is why Rivera may get blamed for the team’s struggle.
Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals
Although the Cardinals signed Kingsbury to a contract extension through 2027, NFL teams are never hesitant to fire a coach halfway through an extension.
The former Texas Tech head coach has struggled so far in the early stretch of his NFL head coaching career, posting only one above .500 season last year when the Cardinals finished 11-6.
However, even with that impressive start the Cardinals had last season, they got whalloped by the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in one of Kyler Murray’s worst showings as a quarterback.
This season, Kingsbury and co. are off to a mediocre 2-3 start including a humiliating 44-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, a miraculous 29-23 win in OT over the Las Vegas Raiders thanks to a Herculean effort from Murray and a narrow 20-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, it’s not just the offensive side of the ball that’s failing the team. The defense ranks second in blitz percentage at 41.7% but sits dead last in the league in sacks with six, according to FootballReference.com.
With all four of their divisional games against the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks remaining on the schedule, the Cardinals are in desperation mode and Kingsbury’s buns may be getting a little toasty on his seat.
Nathaniel Hackett, Denver Broncos
The most likely head coach to be fired next, the Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett combination has failed worse than anyone ever could’ve ever thought.
Through five contests, the Broncos have scored 20 points or more just ONCE, including two games of nine points against the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, who are by no means stellar defensive units.
Wilson already has $165 million coming his way out of the $245 million extension he signed earlier this offseason from the front office, so he’s not going anywhere any time soon. Which leaves no one else to blame but the coach.
Matthew McLaughlin is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mem6936@psu.edu.
