5 NFL head coaches squarely on the hot seat after Week 14

Death, taxes and talented NFL players being poorly-coached. There are only 32 of these jobs, but man, does the NFL have some terrible coaching going on these days. It feels like a year-in, year-out proposition, but apparently, not every hotshot coordinator is cut out for this line of work. Like the starting quarterback, head coach is a position to deflect praise and accept blame. It is so thankless.

However, we should expect for at least a few more teams to make a move at the helm of their on-field operation by the end of the season. So far the Las Vegas Raiders said sayonara to Josh McDaniels, as well as the Carolina Panthers canning Frank Reich to remain the league's greatest embarrassment. Of course, more than the Panthers and Raiders will have openings by Black Monday in a few weeks.

Some teams need to reboot it a bit to prevent staleness and complacency from setting in. Others need to accept that the guy calling all the shots on Sundays is probably not going to get better at it in the coming weeks, months or years. This is a billion-dollar industry. With great power comes great responsibility. Not everyone who is exceptional at the X's and O's is good with the Jimmies and Joes.

Here are five NFL head coaches firmly on the hot seat heading into the final month of the season.

5 NFL head coaches who are really feeling the heat through Week 14

5. Arthur Smith needs to give up play-calling duties or he will be gone

Admittedly, I am too close to the flame to honestly and accurately assess this, but something has to give when it comes to Arthur Smith and the Atlanta Falcons. There are moments in each game where I feel like he can be the one to lead this team back into the playoffs. Then, there are moments that ended up defining his latest loss of the season to the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Smith's stubbornness in terms of offensive play-calling is what will cost him his job. His prickly nature with the media rubs some people the wrong way. Others, like yours truly, find it to be very hilarious. However, I am running out of patience in trying to defend this man. I think he gets one more year, but he needs to hire a play-caller, or at least an offensive coordinator who can do something to help him.

While I understand that he may be limited at the quarterback position, just win on Sunday, dammit. The NFC South is ripe for the picking, and the Falcons just lost a game that will put even more pressure on them in the final month of the season to even dream about thinking about getting in. Atlanta has not qualified for the postseason since 2017, and the Falcons may have to keep waiting.

I doubt that Arthur Blank is going to fire Arthur Smith after this season, but his seat is getting toasty.