NFL Highs And Lows: Five Coaches Already On The Hot Seat

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It is way too early to be considering NFL coaching changes because nobody fires a coach six weeks into the season – until the Jets did it after Week Five.

So that has put everyone around the NFL on notice that turnovers don’t happen only during games. 

In this edition of the NFL highs and lows of the week, we look at otherwise good head coaches such as Kevin Stefanski, Mike McCarthy, Doug Pederson and others, who are definitely on the hot seat already.

The Lows:

Stefanski Options Limited

Kevin Stefanski: he was the NFL coach of the year in 2023. But his team is 1-5 and has lost four consecutive games.

What’s worse, Stefanski has very few cards he can play at this stage so that his team changes course. Yes, he can play running back Nick Chubb next week, as Cleveland.com reported, in a return of a great player. But that’s not the player the coach needs most to show up consistently.

That guy has been and remains quarterback Deshaun Watson, who continues to be unremarkable but also untouchable. Stefanski cannot bench his $230 million quarterback.

But the $230 million guy definitely takes a while to think through his reads and progressions – a situation made dire by the fact the offensive line is subpar. It’s a recipe for often ineffective offense.

And the offensive play-caller, by the way, is Stefanski.

An Uncertain Return To The U.S.A

Doug Pederson: He’s not getting fired this week. After the Jaguars delivered a stinker against the Chicago Bears, particularly on defense, the coach and club owner Shad Khan spoke for some time.

And Khan apparently gave Pederson the strong feeling he still has the owner’s support.

“I do, Pederson said. “I was just with him and I do.”

But that support is not unconditional. Or infinite. 

The Jaguars didn’t show a lot of urgency against the Bears – especially on defense. Pederson admitted that on Monday. Yet, they must win on the back end of their London doubleheader next week to avoid any drama upon a return to the United States. Even Pederson believes the game against the New England Patriots is a must-win.

“I would say so,” he said. “I would say everything here on out, quite frankly. If we want to get back to playing the type of football we know we can play, you’re going to have to win a lot of games moving forward. I would say that, yeah, these games moving forward are just that.”

McCarthy Winless At Home

Mike McCarthy: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called the 47-9 whipping at the hands of Detroit “humbling” and “concerning,” but added he’s not firing McCarthy now.

“I’m not considering that,” Jones said. 

Why not?

Because the Cowboys are 3-3 and only one game from a tie for the NFC East lead. But there’s other stuff that should worry McCarthy.  

The other stuff is the Cowboys aren’t close to looking like a contender going into their bye week. And they’re 0-3 at home. And Jones is not blind.

“Generally speaking, I think my message is, I know you don’t need to hear me say this, but I’m well aware that we’re in the proverbial [bleep hole] right now,” Jones said.

McCarthy is in the final year of his contract. And his assignment is simple: Rally the club to the playoffs and win in the playoffs.

So he has quite a hole to dig himself and his team out of.

Saints Defense Is On Allen

Dennis Allen: The Saints started out fast, which suggests they have ability, but they haven’t won a game in a month.

They just lost to a Tampa Bay team that was displaced by Hurricane Milton last week. And they lost it by giving up 51 points, 602 yards.

The Bucs just became the fifth team in the entire history of the NFL to gain at least 300 passing and 275 rushing yards in a game.

And guess who the author, architect, and play-caller of the Saints defense is?

Yes, Allen.

Pierce Not Going, Right?

Antonio Pierce: He’s in his first full season, but that season is teetering. Fans have basically started to see that and perhaps that’s one reason there were nearly as many Steelers fans in Las Vegas as there were Raiders fans on Sunday.

So does owner Mark Davis see this and start making other plans? 

“Our record is what it shows, we’re 2-4,” Pierce said after Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. “It’s not good enough. We’re not coaching well enough, we’re not playing well enough, and we’re not detailing well enough. More importantly, when you turn the ball over, you don’t give yourself a chance. Again, minus three plus a blocked punt.”

The next problem is the Raiders know they’re going to be resetting the quarterback room next offseason. They’re going to try to draft a starter, barring some great veteran being available.

Is the defensive-minded coach the right guy to manage that?

The Highs:

Mayfield’s Downfield Blocking

Baker Mayfield: He threw three interceptions, but he also threw four touchdown passes. And it’s not about any of that.

It’s about a quarterback handing the ball off. And when the play breaks downfield, the quarterback is seen throwing a block 25 yards down the field. 

Mayfield was that quarterback.

Ravens running game: Lordy, they are hard to stop on the ground. Baltimore recorded 176 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in their 30-23 victory over Washington, as Derrick Henry gained 132 rushing yards, Lamar Jackson added 40 and there were others. The Ravens are the second team in the Super Bowl era to record at least 150 rushing yards, and a rushing TD in each of its first six game of the season, joining the 1971 Oakland Raiders. 

Harbaugh 2-0 Vs. Heart Trouble

Jim Harbaugh: We all saw Jim Harbaugh head into the blue medical tent and then into the Chargers locker room with what he described as an “atrial flutter.” 

Harbaugh said he’s feeling good but plans to be reevaluated by a cardiologist on Monday.

Harbaugh, 60, said after the game he’d had a similar episode as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. The Niners won that game as the Chargers did Sunday’s against the Broncos.

“2-0 with arrhythmia,” Harbaugh said.

Great Homecoming For Anarumo

Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo: A Sunday Night Football game is pressure enough. Getting a unit right after yielding 38 points or more in two of the previous three games is not great, either.

But Anarumo, a native of Staten Island, was coaching in front of a lot of family on Sunday. There were hopes and expectations to live up to. 

And the answer: The Bengals gave up only seven points against the Giants in the Meadowlands. That is the fewest points the Bengals have allowed this season.

Great job by Anarumo. 

A.J. Brown Is Flying

Eagles receiver A.J. Brown: He was great in the regular-season opener, catching six passes for 116 yards with one TD. And then he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined the next three games.

On Sunday, coming off the bye week, Brown picked up where he left off – he caught five passes for 119 yards, and a touchdown. His 40-yard catch in the final two minutes sealed the win.

Brown sort of slumped at the end of 2023, averaging 56.3 yards in the final eight games. He had only one TD in those final eight games.

He’s averaging 117.5 yards per game in two games this year and has already scored 2 touchdowns.