5 NFL coaches starting 2020 on the hot seat

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – NOVEMBER 17: Doug Marrone the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars watches the action in the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 17, 2019, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

4. Doug Marrone, Jacksonville Jaguars

Head Coaching Record for JAX: 22-28 (.440)

Had the Jacksonville Jaguars not come mere minutes from knocking off the New England Patriots in the 2017 AFC Championship, Marrone would have been chopped long ago. Thankfully for his sake, he coached up that 2017 entity known as “Sacksonville.”

But where did they go? Since that conference championship appearance, Marrone and the Jaguars are the owners of an 11-21 record (.344). This is the sixth-worst in the industry. Marrone’s once-feared defense, famous for sacks, has dipped to 13th-most sacks in the NFL since 2018. Not bad whatsoever, but not elite.

In 2020, Marrone’s fate will rest on the sophomore-season performance of signal-caller Garnder Minshew II. The 24-year-old propelled the Jags to a 6-6 record in his 12 starts, which is commendable for a mostly unknown rookie passer. Minshew’s 91.2 passer rating was terrific for a first-year player and was [amazingly] better than Tom Brady (88.0).

The Jaguars will go to war with Titans, Texans, and Colts, per usual, in 2020. All three of these teams have lofty expectations. The consensus is that Jacksonville may become the punching bag for these AFC South teams. If so, Marrone is on borrowed time.

On the whole, the Jaguars probably need an exciting 8-8 season (is that a thing?) for Marrone to be the skipper in 2021.

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