Turning Up the Heat

These NFL head coaches are feeling the pressure of the hot seat and could be unemployed by the end of the season

by Brendan Smith, Sports O'Clock Writing Team Member

We are past the halfway point of the NFL season, and it has become clear which teams have a chance to play in January and which teams will watch the playoffs from their couches. The teams that ultimately miss out will have tough decisions to make to improve their fortunes heading into next season. The toughest decision is to determine whether or not a coaching change needs to be made. With that being said, here are the coaches who are on the hot seat and need to worry about their job security next season:

The seat is giving off a little heat: Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings

(photo credits: Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

The Vikings got off to a rough 1-5 start, but they have rebounded with two straight divisional wins over the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. During that poor start, Zimmer’s defense was awful, particularly in a 27-26 loss to the Seattle Seahawks when they allowed quarterback Russell Wilson to lead a game winning drive in less than two minutes. Zimmer has had success in Minnesota since he was hired in 2014, but changes need to be made this offseason to ensure the Vikings are competitive next year. Whether or not that involves a coaching change remains to be seen.

The seat is warm: Joe Judge, New York Giants

(photo credits: ESPN.com)

Judge is a first-year coach, but that does not excuse how bad the Giants have played. Quarterback Daniel Jones is a turnover machine, the offense struggles to score points, and the defense lacks playmakers. The hiring of Judge, formerly the special teams coordinator with the New England Patriots, was a questionable move. The Giants are expected to part ways with general manager Dave Gettleman this offseason, which could pave the way for the new GM to replace Judge with a head coach of his own choosing.

The seat is warm: Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys

(photo credits: Sports Illustrated)

McCarthy’s firing would be a guarantee if not for two factors: he lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury, and Jerry Jones is the GM/owner. Jones is notorious for holding onto coaches for too long (I’m talking about you, Jason Garrett) and making choices based on emotion rather than logic. The Cowboys have been abysmal this season and losing your star quarterback is not an excuse for how bad the rest of the team has performed. McCarthy deserves to be fired, but it is likely Jones will keep him around for another year.

The seat is hot: Matt Patricia, Detroit Lions

(photo credits: Rick Osentoski/AP)

Patricia is, quite frankly, lucky to still be an NFL head coach. He is 12-25-1 as the coach of the Lions; 3 of those wins have come this season. The Lions are notorious for blowing leads under Patricia, and he has failed to build any sort of consistency on both offense and defense. He will almost certainly be fired if the Lions fail to make the playoffs.

The seat is hot: Anthony Lynn, Los Angeles Chargers

(photo credits: Ron Chenoy/USATSI)

Another coach notorious for overseeing blown leads, Lynn’s Chargers have lost four games this season after they had held a lead of 10 points or more. That is unacceptable for an NFL head coach and will likely be the reason he is ultimately let go. The other reason: rookie quarterback Justin Herbert has been incredible this season, and the Chargers may want to hire a coach that can further assist his development.

The seat has become an uncontrollable fire: Adam Gase, New York Jets

(photo credits: Gary Landers/Associated Press)

The Jets are horrible, but you already knew that. Adam Gase is the worst head coach in the NFL, but you already knew that too. It is mind-boggling that he has not been fired yet. The Jets really are all-in on tanking.

(All photos are cited properly. No copyright infringement intended.)