NFL Hot Seat: 5 Coaches who must win in Week 14

Dec 4, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera during the fourth quarter in a game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks won 40-7. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera during the fourth quarter in a game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks won 40-7. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 4, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera during the fourth quarter in a game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks won 40-7. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera during the fourth quarter in a game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks won 40-7. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

Carolina Panthers. Ron Rivera. 2. player. 87. .

It seems crazy that a head coach who took his team to the Super Bowl just last season could be put on the hot seat. However, given the way this season has gone for the Carolina Panthers, management is going to be putting Ron Rivera under a microscope.

The Panthers are dead last in the NFC South this season with a 4-8 record. To make matters worse, they’re coming off of an embarrassing 40-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and are taking on an injury-plagued San Diego Chargers team that has snuck up on some opponents this year.

Letting Josh Norman walk in free agency looks like a big mistake now. The Panthers currently rank 28th in the NFL with 26.8 points per game allowed while letting opposing quarterbacks post a 95.5 passer rating.

Rivera was responsible for helping rebuild the Panthers into a Super Bowl contender, but this season the team just doesn’t look like it has the same energy that it did in 2015. If the Panthers keep losing games as the season wraps up, the front office might have no choice but to make a splash by finding a new head coach.