Ranking the next NFL head coach to be fired

3. Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys

The former backup quarterback for America’s Team has had a decent if, well, mediocre tenure at the helm.

Sandwiched between three NFC East titles, though, are two years where he failed to make the playoffs. This was all preceded by three 8-8 seasons. The bottom line: Garrett’s never guided Dallas past the Divisional Round.

In the midst of his ninth full season, Garrett has seen his Cowboys lose two critical games in a row and faces a brutal array of defenses down the stretch. Beginning in Week 10, Dallas’ schedule is as follows: Minnesota, at Detroit, at New England, Buffalo, at Chicago.

The Vikings, Patriots, Bills and Bears currently rank fourth, first, third and fifth in yards allowed per game. Talk about a potential disaster scenario for a Cowboys offense that suffers significantly when Ezekiel Elliott doesn’t run the ball well enough.

It’s possible three playoff teams could come out of the NFC West in Seattle, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco. Dallas still has to face division rival Philadelphia twice. The Eagles have an MVP-caliber quarterback in Carson Wentz and the NFL’s top run defense.

The playoff race may well be a numbers game Garrett is on the wrong side of. All but one of the teams mentioned in the paragraph above have head coaches who’ve coached in the Super Bowl. And 49ers boss Kyle Shanahan is no slouch, either.

Combining all these factors paints a fairly ominous forecast for Garrett. Even if he manages to guide his talented roster to a 9-7 mark, it may not be good enough to qualify for the postseason.

That’s when Dallas owner and general manager Jerry Jones may finally sever his longstanding alliance with Garrett and chase a big name such as, perhaps, Lincoln Riley.