NFL power rankings, head coaching carousel and more
The NFL head coaching carousel will be in full swing soon, and at least a quarter of the league should hop on board.
There are three weeks remaining in the NFL season, and each team is in one of two camps. They are either focusing on the postseason, or thinking about the offseason. For the latter, many are readying for a new head coach after more disappointment.
Last year, six jobs changed hands after the season, including the Jacksonville Jaguars elevating Doug Marrone from his interim tag. This year should easily match that total and likely exceed it, with 10 teams potentially parting ways with their current regime.
The no-brainers are plentiful. After 15 years and zero playoff wins, the Cincinnati Bengals have to move on from Marvin Lewis. Lewis doesn’t have a contract past this season, and currently at 5-8, there is no reason to retain him. Cincinnati typically doesn’t spend big money on new head coaches, so expect that trend to continue.
The Chicago Bears are another team that must find a new direction. John Fox has underwhelmed in his three years there, going 13-32. Chicago could look internally and elevate defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, although it will survey all options.
We already saw the first coach fired this year with Ben McAdoo being ousted last week, leaving Steve Spagnuolo as the interim coach. Spagnuolo has previous head-coaching experience, but he’s a longshot to keep that job. The Giants will conduct a thorough search outside of the organization.
Over in Tampa, the Buccaneers have to be considering a housecleaning. Tampa Bay was supposed to take the proverbial leap this season, and yet it sits at 4-9. Jameis Winston has regressed, throwing two more interceptions and losing a fumble on Sunday. Reports are surfacing of Dirk Koetter ans Winston starting to sour on each other, and while Winson has little clout to force a move, the writing appears on the wall. The Buccaneers could promote defensive coordinator Mike Smith, but after staying in house with Koetter, look for an outside candidate to get this job if available.
The New York Jets will also be hiring. Todd Bowles is getting a raw deal considering the expectations/roster against the current result, but he hasn’t done enough to save his job. New York will likely fire general manager Mike Maccagnan as well and try to turn over the entire power structure, including the quarterback.
In Indianapolis, Chuck Pagano is certainly finished after Week 17. Pagano saw the Colts reach the playoffs in each of his first three years at the helm, only to regress over the next three. Indianapolis’ roster stinks, but Pagano compounds that by making asinine decisions and uninspiring rhetoric on a weekly basis. General manager Chris Ballard will fire everybody on the staff. Keep an eye on Dave Toub and Matt Nagy here, two Kansas City Chiefs assistants. Ballard worked in Kansas City before coming to Indianapolis.
Then there are the coaches on the hot seat, although the temperature varies.
The Denver Broncos should move on from Vance Joseph, who seems both overwhelmed and without answers. Denver is not a town accustomed to losing, but will general manager John Elway pull the plug on his guy so quickly? If he does, the Broncos will likely cut ties with the entire staff.
While the Houston Texans appeared ready to take off before Deshaun Watson tore his ACL, Bill O’Brien should be feeling heat. The Texans are 4-9 and even with Watson, lost multiple games that should have been wins due to O’Brien’s inability to manage the game. This is a great chance for the Texans to get a top-flight head coach on the job.
It’s also fair to wonder about the future of Jim Caldwell. The Detroit Lions are 7-6 but barring a miracle won’t make the playoffs. Caldwell only has one season left on his deal, making him vulnerable to the pink slip. If Caldwell isn’t retained, the Lions could promote offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who has become a popular name to see interview requests in January.
Finally, what will happen with Hue Jackson and the Cleveland Browns? After firing general manager Sashi Brown, owner Jimmy Haslam stated Jackson would be back in 2018. Still, the Browns are not known for stability, and if new general manager John Dorsey really wants to move on, would Haslam let him? Also, if Cleveland does end up 0-16, does Haslam have a change of heart? Jackson is likely back, but it bears monitoring.
The NFL, more than ever before, is a won-now league. Come three weeks from now, we’ll see that in spades.
Power rankings
Top 10 teams to not win the Super Bowl
1. 2007 New England Patriots
2. 1968 Baltimore Colts
3. 1998 Minnesota Vikings
4. 1987 San Francisco 49ers
5. 1967 Los Angeles Rams
6. 1997 Green Bay Packers
7. 1990 Buffalo Bills
8. 1984 Miami Dolphins
9. 1983 Washington Redskins
10. 1969 Minnesota Vikings
Quotable
"“[They] made the determination that he was OK.” “Not me, obviously the evaluators made the determination to put him back in the game. He went back in the game and came out and they evaluated him a little bit more just because of what they saw.”– Texans head coach Bill O’Brien on Tom Savage returning after a scary hit"
There is no excuse for Savage going back into the game after this hit and subsequent reaction. The official clearly sees Savage having serious issues, and how Houston’s medical staff didn’t is beyond the scope of acceptable. If the NFL is ever going to be serious about head injuries and protecting players, there needs to be an overhaul in both attitude and protocol.
Podcast
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Random stat
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has gone 20 games with a 100-yard effort.
If released next offseason, the Cowboys would save $8.5 million against the cap.
Info learned this week
1. Carson Wentz goes down, and so do the Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are 11-2, but nobody in the city of Brotherly Love is feeling good. On a day when the Eagles clinched the NFC East with a 37-35 win over the Los Angeles Rams, quarterback and MVP candidate Carson Wentz potentially tore his ACL, an injury that would sideline him for the season.
If fears are realized and Wentz has a torn ligament in his left knee, Philadelphia is no longer a Super Bowl contender. Wentz will have wrapped up his second season leading he league with 32 touchdowns at the time of his injury. While Nick Foles is one of the better backups in the league, he isn’t capable of going on a playoff run and beating someone the level of Tom Brady or Ben Roehtlisberger in the Super Bowl.
Frankly, the injury bug has really taken its toll on the league in 2017. One could almost make an All-Pro team of guys on Injured Reserve, and Wentz would be chief among them.
2. NFC race heats up after wild Week 14
It’s been a long time since a conference has had this may contenders. None of the NFC teams are great, but a half-dozen or so are very, very good.
The aforementioned Eagles cliched the NFC East and are in position to draw a first-round bye, while the Rams dropped to 9-4 and the third seed with their loss to Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers maintained their status in the No. 5 seed by beating the Minnesota Vikings, who slid down to the second seed at 10-3.
On Thursday night, the Atlanta Falcons handled the New Orleans Saints despite three Matt Ryan turnovers. Atlanta is currently the sixth and final seed while the NFC South-leading Saints are the fourth seed.
The Seattle Seahawks are on the outside looking in after losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they would move into the NFC West lead with a win on Sunday against the Rams at home. Incredibly, Los Angeles would actually fall out of the top six with a loss at Seattle and wins by the Saints, Panthers and Falcons.
3. Jags make statement Seahawks
The Jacksonville Jaguars pounded the Seattle Seahawks.Many have overlooked the Jaguars as an AFC also-ran due to Blake Bortles, but the defense is legitimate enough to beat anybody with even the slightest help. On Sunday, Bortles didn’t turn the ball over while the Jacksonville secondary picked off Russell Wilson on three occasions.
Against a tough Seattle defense, the Jaguars rushed for well over 100 yards while getting big plays on the outside from Dede Westbrook, Marqise Lee and Keelan Cole.
Jacksonville is now 9-4 and leading the AFC South by a game over the Tennessee Titans, and can clinch a playoff berth with one more victory. The Jaguars are in good position to claim the third seed and face a mediocre wild card for, likely the Baltimore Ravens.
4. Chiefs, Chargers set up for epic Week 15 showdown
The Kansas City Chiefs finally won a game. Kansas City dismantled the Oakland Raiders, taking a 26-0 fourth-quarter lead before winning 26-15, snapping a four-game losing streak. The Chiefs sacked Derek Carr three times and pick him off twice while Kareem Hunt went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Chargers hammered the Washington Redskins, putting them in a first-place tie with the Chiefs at 7-6. Philip Rivers and Co. are trying to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2013, and will have their chance on Saturday night. The Chiefs and Chargers tangle in primetime at Arrowhead Stadium, with the winner in the driver’s seat for the AFC West crown.
5. Steelers clinch AFC North by surviving Ravens
The Pittsburgh Steelers punched their ticket to the AFC playoffs, winning the North with a crazy 39-38 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh was buoyed by Ben Roethlisberger, who somehow threw for 506 yards and two touchdowns on 66 attempts. Antonio Brown was his typically brilliant self, catching 11 passes for 213 yards.
Now, the Steelers ready for a showdown with the Patriots, which likely tells us who has home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Baltimore keeps itself in the AFC playoff picture as the sixth seed at 7-6, holding tiebreakers over the Chargers and Bills. The Ravens also play an easy schedule going forward with contests against the Browns, Colts and Bengals.
History lesson
No team has a more uninspiring history than the Arizona Cardinals. Originally the Chicago Cardinals in 1920, the franchise has moved from the Windy City to St. Louis and then to Phoenix.
In 97 seasons, only four of those years have seen a home playoff game.
Parting shot
What should be made of the Raiders moving forward? After losing to the Chiefs on Sunday, Oakland is 6-7 and all but eliminated from playoff contention. Last year saw the Raiders improve to 12-4, giving them their first winning season and playoff berth since 2002. This autumn, everything came crashing down.
Oakland might not have an easy fix in the toolkit. Head coach Jack Del Rio has come under fire for seeing two coordinators leave in the span of 11 months, and rightfully so. Del Rio, who signed a four-year contract extension in February, has to incur his share of the blame. Oakland has been inept defensively, his side of the ball. After the transition of Todd Downing taking over for Bill Musgrave as offensive coordinator, the offense has gone from sixth to 16th (prior to Sunday) in total offense.
After signing Derek Carr to a five-year, $125 million deal, the fourth-year pro was supposed to be a consistent MVP contender. Instead, Carr has been average. He’s completing 63.8 percent of his throws, the same number as in 2016. However, Carr has 18 passing touchdowns against 10 interceptions after posting 28 scores and only six picks last year. Of course, the disappearing act of Amari Cooper isn’t helping.
This offseason, questions loom. Will Michael Crabtree be back after a down season at age 30? If not, the Raiders save $7.75 million in 2018. Additionally, who are the corners on this disastrous defense? David Amerson and Sean Smith are both likely cuts, and while Gareon Conley will step into one side, who has the other?
Oakland has more concerns than cornerstones, and that was unfathomable going into 2017.