We’re already a month into the NFL season. Four games in and there’s already coaches on the hot seat too. These aren’t just struggling coaches and teams either. These are teams that are on the brink of hitting rock bottom. Houston started 0-3 for the second straight season, yet unlike last season, they still don’t have a win through four games now. With this defense and a potential franchise quarterback, there’s no reason why Houston has yet to get a win this season.
That puts DeMeco Ryans squarely in the crosshairs of being fired. The Texans are just one of the many teams struggling. Ryans is one of the many coaches that could be the topic of the hot seat all season after a horrid start.
DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
This Texans team has had an odd 2026 season. They had one of, if not the, best defenses in the NFL last season. This year, they’re ranked 21st in total defensive yards given up and 26th in points given up. They’ve given up as many yards as they’ve gained on offense and they simply can’t score. It’s hard to see what’s gone wrong. A year ago, this Texans team relied heavily on its defense. This year, their defense can’t slow teams down and their offense can’t keep up. The most glaring problem on defense has been the pass defense has been crippling.
Since Week 1, the Texans have allowed at least 250 passing yards in every game. The only game with less was in Week 3 against Indianapolis. Ryans is a defensive-minded head coach and came to Houston to build an elite defense. He did that and now they’re struggling. If he doesn’t figure out how to get that side of the ball back on track, it could cost him his job prematurely.
Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers
Matt LaFleur couldn’t have a worse start to the 2026 season. Well, I guess if they were winless through the first month, that might be worse. The Packers’ loss to the Atlanta Falcons was sobering. It was also a reminder the same problems from last year are still prevalent. After scoring first in that game, Green Bay gave up 27-unanswered points. It was a game that got away from them. In Week 1 against Minnesota, the Packers had a 22-10 lead in the third quarter and gave up 29-unanswered in that game to lose.
This isn’t a Jordan Love problem or an injury problem. This is a discipline problem and that starts with LaFleur. Green Bay doesn’t look like a playoff contender right now and truthfully, if the Packers don’t turn things around, that will be on LaFleur. Green Bay hasn’t made it past the divisional round since LaFleur took over. Getting to the playoffs is no longer good enough and struggling through the regular season won’t get it done either.
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
It feels like a broken record mentioning Zac Taylor in hot seat debates. Sure, the Brown family isn’t going to pull the trigger on Taylor – see Marvin Lewis era for reference – but it doesn’t absolve Taylor from how much the Bengals have struggled. The offense struggled Sunday and as much as Joe Burrow deserves some blame for that, Taylor calls plays. He’s been criticized for both his playcalling and game management and nothing has changed through the first month.
I’m not going to say he needs to be fired before the season, but this season had a lot of excitement and hype around the Bengals. Getting back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 isn’t good enough either. They need to go on a playoff run and prove they're still a threat in the AFC. This team doesn’t look threatening right now.
Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
Does Jim Harbaugh need to be fired? No. But he may need to make some changes because Mike McDaniel is not the solution to this offense. If he stays stagnant on any changes, it could ultimately be the fuel this front office needs to let him go. McDaniel was brought on to improve this offense and it’s currently one of the worst in the NFL. Week 4 was the first time this season the Chargers scored more than 16 points in a game. Justin Herbert has severely regressed in 2026. He’s on pace for career low passing touchdowns in a season and then a career-high in interceptions.
Yes, this offensive line was overhauled and there are a lot of new faces. But this offense has no identity right now and that falls on McDaniel. If Harbaugh wants to believe in McDaniel, it could ultimately cost him in Los Angeles. Harbaugh came in and the Chargers have been to playoffs in each of his first two seasons. Right now, the Chargers don’t look like a playoff team and if they don’t turn things around, it could be the reason he gets jettisoned early.
Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts might end up costing Nick Sirianni his job. Sirianni and the Eagles don’t have time to see if Hurts can turn things around and neither Andy Dalton or Tanner McKee are good enough to save this team from spiraling. It’s obviously Sirianni’s job to figure this out, but right now, Philadelphia is far from being a contender. They’ve lost the last two games and the offense has been miserable. That’s been the problem in Philadelphia the past two seasons. Sirianni hit the hot seat last year but salvaged his season.
This year, he might not be able to save himself if Philadelphia doesn’t look like a contender and if Hurts doesn’t improve. The NFC East is wide open with the New York Giants leading the division at 3-1 and the Dallas Cowboys tied with Philly at 2-2. The Eagles have run this division the last couple of years so falling short of a division title this year would almost certainly ramp up the heat on Sirianni.
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