NFL head coach hot seat rankings: Matt Eberflus might not be last coach to go

Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Reporter

The minute Matt Eberflus failed to use his last time out against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, it was clear that time was about to run out for him.

And to no one’s surprise, it happened on Black Friday morning in Chicago when the 54-year-old was fired from his post as head coach of the Bears. He becomes the third coach to be fired during this season, joining former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh and former New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen on the unemployment line.

Eberflus likely won’t be the last to face the firing squad during the season either. ‘Tis the season when owners start to lose their patience over ugly losses, mocking headlines, and — most especially — empty seats in their stands. There isn’t a lot of good that usually comes from an in-season coaching change.

But sometimes owners just feel a need to put a stop to the bad.

So who’s next? There are several strong candidates. Here is the updated Fox Sports ranking of the coaches on the hottest seats heading into Week 13:

1. Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars (Last ranking: 1st)

It is stunning, really, that the 56-year-old survived the bye week given the deteriorating circumstances with his team. The Jaguars (2-9) had lost four in a row, were blown out 52-6 by the Lions right before the break, and had scored just 13 points in the last two games.

So what is owner Shahid Khan waiting for? Why is he clinging to a coach that’s won just three of his last 16 games? Certainly, nobody around the NFL believes it’s because Pederson is safe. He is still sure bet to be fired the day after the season is over, if not before. One theory making the rounds is that Khan wants to ride this stormy season out in hopes that his beleaguered team ends up with the No. 1 overall draft pick for the third time in the last five years.

That, the theory goes, will make the job more attractive to the coach he really wants to hire: Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

2. Antonio Pierce, Las Vegas Raiders (Last ranking: 3rd)

The big coaching staff shakeup he made during the bye week didn’t work. They’ve lost twice since then and now have lost six straight games. They’ve also now lost starting quarterback Gardner Minshew for the season, so things aren’t likely going to get any better anytime soon.

Pierce was hired in large part because of the way he motivated his players and got them to rally around him when he was the interim coach. But heading into their Black Friday game against the Kansas City Chiefs — a game Pierce dubbed the “best team in football against the worst team in football” — his Raiders (2-9) look lifeless now and it’ll be hard for him to rally them at all during the last six weeks of a miserable season.

Owner Mark Davis is almost certain to clean house and start over with a new coach for the new quarterback they have to take with their first-round pick. The only question is: When?

3. Brian Daboll, New York Giants (Last ranking: 5th)

He already got the “vote of confidence” for the rest of the season and an almost-promise that he wouldn’t be fired in the offseason. But anyone who saw the look on owner John Mara’s face Thursday as the Giants (2-10) were embarrassing themselves in a 27-20 loss in Dallas knows that “vote” is subject to a recount.

Mara has proven to be a very reactionary owner over the last decade and the Giants are just piling up disastrous losses right now. Worse, Daboll — hired in large part because of his offensive prowess — has now failed to generate any offense at all with three different quarterbacks. They’ve lost seven straight games now and have hit the 20-point mark only twice.

Daboll is also reeling from the way his players reacted to their 30-7 loss at home to the Bucs last Sunday. Star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence called the team “soft”. Star rookie receiver Malik Nabers went further, calling them “soft as f—k”. He also questioned Daboll’s game plan, which included no passes being thrown his way in the first half.

Almost every player who spoke sounded defeated, deflated and completely void of hope. And the few fans who bothered to show up surely felt the same way. Mara, according to multiple sources in the organization, really doesn’t want to fire Daboll after cycling through five coaches in the last nine years. But it might be hard to talk him out of it if this continues.

4. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys (Last ranking: 4th)

Don’t look now, but the Cowboys have won two in a row — albeit over the sliding Commanders and the reeling Giants. The players sound like they think they can make a run, even with quarterback Dak Prescott out for the season. And even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said it’s “not crazy” to think he’ll extend McCarthy’s contract after the season.

It’s worth noting that McCarthy’s contract expires in a few months and Jones wouldn’t even extend it after three straight 12-win seasons. But don’t underestimate the power of good feelings. The Cowboys are 5-7 and have the Bengals and Panthers up next, and getting to .500 with all their injuries would be quite a coup.

Would it really be enough to save McCarthy, though? Jones can be stubborn with his coaches. Multiple league sources still think the lack of a contract extension is telling and that a parting is inevitable. But the door for a return might be open slightly if they can pull off a few more wins.

5. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (Last ranking: 6th)

What an absolute waste of talent this team has been this year. Both quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Ja’Marr Chase are having phenomenal seasons and they’ve been good enough to take some of the NFL’s best teams right down to the wire.

Yet they constantly keep coming up short, like they did against the Chargers right before the bye, and the Ravens right before that (for the second time this season). Worse for Taylor, after they blew the end of the game against the Chargers, Chase was asked why the Bengals can’t finish games. His answer: “I don’t call plays for us.”

That doesn’t exactly exude confidence in his coach.

Their only hope now is to win at least five of their final six games, which at this point seems unreasonable to expect. When they fall short, owner Mike Brown has to take a hard look at Taylor and ask himself if he wants to waste another year of Burrow’s career.

6. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (Last ranking: 7th )

Their win over the Steelers in the snow on Thursday night was definitely a big help for the fifth-year coach. Faith in him was teetering after they were blown out in New Orleans four days earlier when they came out of their bye, so he really needed this one.

His biggest problem, though, is that the Browns’ schedule the rest of the season is absolutely brutal. They play four of their last six games on the road — at Denver, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Baltimore. And their two home games are against the Dolphins and the Chiefs.

There’s not a soft spot anywhere. And an 0-6 finish, which would give them a 3-14 record, isn’t just possible — it actually seems likely.

It also doesn’t help Stefanski that he and Deshaun Watson, the franchise quarterback and albatross, haven’t found any success together yet. And with the franchise anchored to Watson for two more seasons, thanks to his nutty contract, the Browns might have to consider bringing someone in who can get a little more out of their $230 million (fully guaranteed) man.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.