Is three weeks too small of a sample for us to start thinking about which underperforming teams will be firing their head coaches this year? Ehh, probably not. We're quickly approaching the one-quarter mark of the season, and if something isn't working, there's a good chance it remains not working.
For these five coaches, a disappointing start has really fired up the hot seat.
Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys
That the Dallas Cowboys hired Brian Schottenheimer in the first place in 2025 was odd. Dallas was coming off a disappointing offensive season in 2024, so promoting Schottenheimer seemed almost like Dallas was just kicking the can down the road before hiring someone with a better resume later on.
Despite missing he playoffs at 7-9-1 last season, Dallas brought Schottenheimer back for 2026. It's fair to imagine that it's playoffs or bust for him at this point, and the team's 1-2 start isn't inspiring much confidence. Dallas doesn't appear to have nailed its defensive coordinator hire, and that's got them in a precarious spot despite ranking seventh in scoring offense so far.
How long does Jerry Jones give his head coach to turn things around? It likely depends on the next three games. Houston and Tampa are winless. Green Bay has been a big disappointment. If Dallas doesn't go at least 2-1 in that stretch, does Jerry start to think about making a move?
Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers
Just a nightmare start to the season for the Green Bay Packers, who rank 22nd in points per game and 29th in points allowed per game. The team's lone win was in overtime against the Jets, and a 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons has raised major concerns.
Week 4 might be a make-or-break moment against the winless Buccaneers, who will be playing with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels under center this week. Lose that one and it might be time for Matt LaFleur to officially pack his bags.
But even a Week 4 win won't take him off the hot seat with Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Carolina, New England and Minnesota up before the Week 11 bye. Green Bay could lose all of those based on how the team played against Atlanta. LaFleur and his players have to prove that game was a fluke. Otherwise, the Packers will be on an interim head coach by the Rams game after the bye.
Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Coming into the season, I identified Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles as someone who could unexpectedly end up on the hot seat. Sure, he'd won three division titles in four seasons as the Bucs' head coach, but his team never lost fewer than seven games. Now, after an 0-3 start to 2026, Bowles is almost certainly on the hot seat for real.
The losses have moved Bowles under .500 during his time in Tampa, and it's starting to get tough to see a path toward any kind of future relevance as long as Bowles is on the sidelines. Tampa is in a rough spot at the moment after committing to Baker Mayfield with an extension, so moving on from Bowles and trying a different head coach in 2027 is the best way to turn this team around.
It also doesn't help that the defense — which should be Bowles' strong suit — is struggling as well. The Bucs have gotten progressively worse in terms of points allowed in each of the last three seasons and now rank 23rd in that category. It might be time to bring in an offensive head coach and a new defensive coordinator.
Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts finally ended their losing streak! At the same time, you can make a very strong argument that they only did so because the Houston Texans lost Sunday's game, not because the Indy won it.
Shane Steichen deserves credit for how well Daniel Jones played in 2025, but being a good head coach is about more than just helping one player perform well. The Colts are now in the year four under Steichen, and the team has an overall record of 26-28 with no playoff appearances.
Steichen probably avoids a midseason firing as long as the bottom doesn't fall out, but it's hard to see him surviving without double-digit wins and/or a playoff appearance. Going 8-9 in perpetuity isn't the way to keep your job in this league.
Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
Jim Harbaugh was supposed to get the Los Angeles Chargers over the hump and turn Justin Herbert into a true Super Bowl contender. In his first two seasons, he did that in the regular season, as the team went 11-6 in both campaigns. However, both of those campaigns produced immediate playoff exits, and the Chargers just have not looked like a team that could take home a Lombardi.
Year 3 for Harbaugh has been a nightmare. The team failed to fix its offensive line woes and sits at 0-3 on the season, putting its 2026 playoff hopes on life support. Is three years too soon to pull the plug on the Harbaugh experiment?
No. If the Chargers miss the playoffs, there's no reason to keep Harbaugh around. Hiring him was supposed to be a shortcut to title contention. Two disappointing playoff results followed by a season where the team doesn't even sniff the postseason would give you no reason to think that sticking to the status quo would work for 2027. Harbaugh has earned the right to not be fired midseason, but the two sides will definitely have a "mutual parting of ways" as soon as Week 18 is over if something doesn't change fast.
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