We've reached Week 13 of the NFL season, which means we're officially down to brass tacks. If your team is going to make its playoff push, now is the time. Likewise, if various coaches on the hot seat are going to save their jobs, they better do it fast.
We've already seen a couple of head coaches get the axe already this year in Brian Daboll and Brian Callahan. But that's just the tip of the iceberg; depending on how the next month or so goes, we could see as much as eight, nine or even 10 openings around the league. How can those in the crosshairs stave off execution? Success looks different for every team.
Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals
Goal: Throw a wrench into the Rams' NFC West coronation
The quarterback quandary Arizona finds itself in probably can't be laid at Gannon's feet; he didn't draft Kyler Murray or decide to hand him the bag. The defense, however, very much can: Gannon came over after serving as DC for the Philadelphia Eagles, after all, and after three years the Cardinals have made precious little progress on that side of the ball.
If that continues, and Arizona keeps on failing to take the leap many have expected for a while now, it'll be tough to argue for Gannon to keep his job. Luckily for him, the closing schedule offers a chance to prove his worth and offer evidence that this team, and this defense, are trending in the right direction. Unluckily for him, taking advantage of that chance will be easier said than done: The Cardinals are slated to face Matthew Stafford, Sean McVay and the Rams twice down the stretch, the ultimate test of any defense.
Arizona clearly isn't going to the playoffs this year. But if they can keep Los Angeles in check, and maybe even play spoiler for their hopes of nabbing the NFC's top seed, Gannon can credibly argue that he just needs some stability at quarterback to get things straightened out.
Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
Goal: Just win the games you're supposed to win
McDaniel already appears to have won his power struggle with both GM Chris Grier and QB Tua Tagovailoa. But he's not out of the woods yet, given just how disappointing the Dolphins have been this season; things in Miami have felt stale for a while now, and cleaning house could be needed.
In order to ensure his safety, McDaniel just needs to take advantage of the schedule in front of his team. He's already off to a good start, with an upset over Buffalo and a win in Europe over the Jayden Daniels-less Commanders. Now, he gets the Jets and Saints back-to-back, before closing with Cincy, Tampa Bay and New England. Beat New Orleans and New York, and pick off one of those final three contenders, and the Dolphins will find themselves back at 7-10. It wouldn't be inspiring, but it would allow everyone to feel better about things as we approach what is likely Tagovailoa's last offseason in Miami.
Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons
Goal: Find a way to make the playoffs
Morris certainly hasn't done himself any favors, inheriting a team with legitimate playoff aspirations last season and going 12-16 over the ensuing year and a half. He's certainly a player's coach and good defensive mind, but it's unclear whether he's a true program-builder.
That said, much of his status is out of his control. Atlanta GM Terry Fontenot figures to be squarely on the hot seat down the stretch of this season, considering both his lack of tangible results in five-plus years at the helm and the fact that the Falcons are set to cough up their first-round pick to the Rams in next spring's draft. If Fontenot gets the axe (no sure thing, considering Arthur Blank's penchant for loyalty), Morris is as good as gone.
With that as the backdrop, the goal becomes clear: Find a way to make the playoffs, come hell or high water. It's awfully hard to believe Blank would pull the trigger on cleaning house on a team that made it to January, even in the woeful NFC South. And while difficult, it's not impossible: Atlanta enters Week 13 just two games back of the banged-up Bucs in the division, with a closing schedule that features the Jets, Cardinals and Saints in addition to an all-important trip to Tampa Bay.
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Goal: Meaningful progress with Shedeur Sanders, on and off the field
Count me among those convinced that all the belly-aching over Sanders' treatment by both his head coach and his team is much ado about nothing. There is no grand conspiracy preventing him from succeeding; he's just a mid-round pick trying to carve out a role for himself in the NFL just like any other.
Still, Stefanski needs to give Cleveland some sort of foundation to build upon for the future if the Browns are going to bring him back for another year. And that means that he needs to help sell Sanders as a potential cornerstone, both by squeezing some good play out of him down the stretch and also by embracing him more than he appears to be so far. The Browns need hope, even if it's false hope, and there are some gettable defenses in this closing schedule. Reaffirm your reputation as a QB whisperer, and there's a chance Cleveland will decide to give this some more runway.
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
Goal: Win a winnable AFC North
I know the Brown family is notoriously loath to make major changes, but exactly what are we doing here with Taylor? His offense appears to be more or less entirely reliant on the presence of Joe Burrow; in fact, a less charitable writer than I might say that Taylor's offense is really Burrow's offense with a head coach attached like a vestigial tail. His defensive coordinator hire blew up spectacularly, and his in-game decision-making leaves much to be desired.
At this point, we're really clinging to that 2021 Super Bowl run to have any glimmer of hope here, even allowing for the fact that Duke Tobin and this ownership group have done him no favors in terms of putting a roster together. Cincinnati can't afford to let more of Burrow and this offense's prime go to waste; despite all the excuses that exist, Taylor needs to show once and for all that this group isn't simply playing out the string.