There's only so much an NFL head coach can control. Should we really be blaming Jeff Hafley, who is 0-5 to begin his head coaching career, when the Miami Dolphins tore their roster to shreds over the offseason and are clearly building for the future? As much as I'd have loved to rip Robert Saleh for everything that had gone wrong in Tennessee before their unlikely Week 6 victory, that roster just wasn't good enough to call him out much.
These four NFL head coaches, however, have talented rosters that should be in the playoff discussion, but instead are playing so poorly that doing anything but putting them on the hot seat would be a disservice. It's hard to defend them at this point.
Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys should be running away with the NFC East given the state of the division and how talented their roster is. Instead, they're just 2-4 and have lost back-to-back games in prime time in embarrassing fashion. We saw all of Schottenheimer's flaws in their Week 6 loss in Green Bay.
The team is incredibly undisciplined, as evidenced by the 11 penalties they took. Their offense (Schottenheimer's side of the ball) is not as dynamic as it should be, as evidenced by the 13 points they scored. Their defense, which was abysmal in 2025, looked awful once again. Schottenheimer has hired a pair of defensive coordinators, and both of those hires have flopped to this point.
The Cowboys are now 9-13-1 under Schottenheimer's leadership. That just isn't good enough.
Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts finally fired Chris Ballard, but notably held onto Shane Steichen, at least for now. I will say that most of the Colts' problems can be pinned on Ballard, and that it's not easy to completely clean house midseason, but Steichen even having a head coaching job to this point is pretty incredible.
How many head coaches can survive going three years without a single playoff appearance, especially when, in the third year, the team goes from 8-2 to 8-9 to choke a spot away? For whatever reason, the Indianapolis Colts stuck to the status quo, holding onto Ballard and Steichen in the offseason, and the results couldn't be much worse. They're now 2-4 after losing a game in which they led by two scores in the second half at home against the 0-5 Titans.
He might be a great offensive coordinator somewhere, but it's clear that he isn't the right individual to be leading the Colts beyond this season. Ballard deserved to go, but so does Steichen.
Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned their first win of the season (in spite of Todd Bowles) in Week 5, and appeared to be headed to a second straight win as they held a 16-3 fourth-quarter lead, only to let the Steelers tie the game and win it in overtime. The Bucs, a team some thought might win the NFC South, are now 1-5, in sole possession of last place in what might be the NFL's worst division.
It isn't Todd Bowles' fault that the Bucs are without Baker Mayfield and that their roster has some clear holes, but the Buccaneers are 1-5 despite playing in six one-score games. What does that tell you about the head coach? If the team consistently comes up on the losing end of games that come down to the wire, there is something wrong beyond the players.
Bowles has gone 36-38 as the Bucs head coach. He has not done enough in Tampa Bay to absolve him of blame for how this season (and ultimately last season as well) has completely unraveled.
Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
After a disheartening 22-6 Week 6 loss in Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers are 0-6. Yes, this Chargers team, with Justin Herbert and a ton of talent around him, that has made back-to-back postseason appearances, would pick No. 1 overall if the regular season ended today. Is that not insane? A ton of people deserve blame for this outcome, with Jim Harbaugh front and center.
Mike McDaniel will probably lose his job in the coming weeks, and deservingly so, but will that really change much? It feels like the Chargers' problems are much deeper. When asked where the Chargers go from here after falling to 0-5, Harbaugh didn't even have an answer. He looks defeated.
Jim Harbaugh was struggling to find words following the Chargers latest loss pic.twitter.com/h8jjS3ANpU
— PFF (@PFF) October 12, 2026
Ultimately, there's no excuse for a team as talented as the Chargers being 0-6. Harbaugh likely won't be fired midseason, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be.
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