Seats are getting warmer by the day for a number of NFL coaches.
It comes as there’s been a lot of bad football on display these last seven weeks. And those at the helm of it, especially taking into account a few Week 7 blowouts, soon could be shown to their exit.
Let’s take a look at five coaches who may be on the hot seat entering Week 8 of the NFL’s 2020 season. (And if you need a reminder of the Week 7 rankings, check it out here.)
5. Vic Fangio, Denver Broncos head coach (Last week: Unranked)
We’re not going to act like the Broncos were supposed to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, but the fact Denver lost the contest 43-16 shouldn’t bring much hope to general manager John Elway. Elway fired both Gary Kubiak and Vance Joseph after just two seasons each, and now Fangio is in his second for the 2-4 Broncos. Denver will host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
4. Matt Patricia, Detroit Lions head coach (Last week: 2)
Patricia is doing all he can to stay on Detroit’s payroll, earning a comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons, who are a dumpster fire themselves. The 3-3 Lions even went out and traded the Cowboys for defensive end Everson Griffen, showing they won’t be selling ahead of the NFL trade deadline. We’ll see if he can keep it as the Lions host the Indianapolis Colts this weekend.
3. Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings head coach (Last week: 4)
Zimmer and the 1-5 Vikings return from their Week 7 bye with three straight NFC North contests, starting the slate against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. If Minnesota’s Week 6 blowout against the Falcons wasn’t enough to show Zimmer the door, maybe a beatdown by Aaron Rodgers and Co. will be.
2. Doug Marrone, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach (Last week: Unranked)
The 1-6 Jaguars are a disaster, dropping each of their last six games, including their most recent 10-point loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, who previously had one win. Jacksonville heads into a bye week (which may be a good time to get an interim coach situated) before facing the 1-6 Houston Texans in Week 9.
1. Adam Gase, New York Jets head coach (Last week: 1)
It’ll be tough for someone to unseat Gase from the top spot. Unless, of course, the 0-7 Jets somehow get a win or he’s fired. We’re going to go ahead and say the former probably won’t happen, so, yeah, it’ll be tough for someone to unseat Gase if he stays employed. It’s sure to be another fun one as the Jets travel to Kansas City on Sunday.
Honorable mentions: Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys head coach; Mike Nolan, Cowboys defensive coordinator; Anthony Lynn, Los Angeles Chargers head coach; Ken Norton Jr., Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator; Todd Wash, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator.
