Week 17 of the NFL season meant the end of the road for plenty of head coaches, with some firings coming as bigger shocks than others.
There were plenty of coaches who were shown the door in the past two days, including Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio. Del Rio, who led the team to a 12-4 record last season, was fired right after the team’s 30-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, Chicago Bears head coach John Fox, and Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano were also shown the door. Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians will also not be with the team next season, though he left on his own terms.
Staying with the Raiders, it looks like the team will make a play for former head coach Jon Gruden. Gruden had been rumored to be going back to Tampa Bay, the team to which the Raiders traded the former coach, who then beat them in the Super Bowl. Gruden has reportedly been in talks with some assistant coaches, and would help lead the team as they transition to Las Vegas.
Also in the AFC West, it looks like the Denver Broncos will be bringing back Vance Joseph. In his first season as head coach, Joseph got off to a hot start, but looked very much out of his league late in the season. Denver struggled to get any consistent play on offense, especially from the quarterback position, so you can bet John Elway will shore up that spot this offseason.
The Buffalo Bills are going back to the playoffs, which will be their first appearance since 1999. The Bills clinched their spot in the playoffs this past weekend when they took care of business against the Miami Dolphins. In order to get in, the team needed the Cincinnati Bengals to upset the Baltimore Ravens on the road, which they did, clearing the way for Buffalo to sneak into the AFC Playoffs with the sixth-seed. Star running back LeSean McCoy was hurt against the Dolphins, however, and could be out for the Wildcard game.
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The Detroit Lions had been the only NFL to go through a full 16-game season without winning a game, but they now have company. The Cleveland Browns lost their 16th game of the season on Sunday, and are now guaranteed to be one of the worst teams in the NFL history. Cleveland has two of the first four picks in the 2018 NFL Draft, so the hope is they can finally make some picks that help this team become relevant.
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