Usually, it’s the head coaches with losing teams who should be worried about their job security. But this could be one of the rare years where multiple coaches of playoff teams could be fired, perhaps opening up highly coveted jobs in January.
The Giants recently started their coaching search after firing Brian Daboll and making Mike Kafka the interim head coach. New York’s opening is certainly a lot more attractive than the poor situation in Tennessee.
But top coaching candidates may not be jumping through hoops to work with Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. They’ll likely be keeping tabs on what’s occurring with the Packers, Steelers and Bills from now until the playoffs.
Bills coach Sean McDermott might have missed his window to deliver a Super Bowl in Buffalo, especially because there are now new contenders atop the AFC standings. Not only do the Bills have to worry about the Chiefs, they’re looking up at the Patriots in the AFC East and will likely have to deal with the Colts and Patriots. Another disappointing playoff exit could mean the end of McDermott’s tenure with the Bills.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has plenty to worry about besides the Ravens’ second-half turnaround. If Pittsburgh loses the AFC North lead, it’ll likely have another one-and-done playoff appearance as a wild-card team or miss the postseason altogether. Either way, it might be time for Tomlin and the Steelers to go their separate ways.
For Packers coach Matt LaFleur, the heat on his job security went up a few notches after the 54 during Monday Night Football. Expectations skyrocketed for LaFleur after the team acquired Micah Parsons a week before the season, and so far Green Bay hasn’t met the higher bar.
Let’s focus on LaFleur’s situation to kick off this week’s NFL Fact or Fiction.
LaFleur has started to field questions about his job security amid a season filled with disappointing performances.
Putting the high expectations aside, it’s a bit surprising that it’s gotten this bad for LaFleur. Not only are they losing games, but quarterback Jordan Love continues to regress.
LaFleur, in his seventh season in Green Bay, gained plenty of job security after Love’s breakout 2023 season, showing that he’s capable of leading a winning team without Aaron Rodgers, who captured two MVPs working with LaFleur. But Love hasn’t regained his borderline elite form from his special Year 1 as a starting QB. To make matters worse, Love continues to struggle against the best teams in the conference. Last year, Love went 0–6 against the Lions, Vikings and Eagles.
Love and LaFleur once again lost to Philadelphia and also have losses to Carolina and Cleveland. The Packers (5–3–1) didn’t score more than 13 points in the three losses and fell to the Eagles and Panthers in back-to-back home games. And let’s not forget the 40–40 tie against the Cowboys.
For a while, it seemed LaFleur’s defense was holding back his talented team. However, the defense has done its part for more than a year now, and has gotten better since the arrival of Parsons. Love has struggled, but he also doesn’t have many quality weapons after the season-ending injury to tight end Tucker Kraft. Still, that shouldn’t be the case because of all the skill players this team has drafted in recent years, including using a first-round pick on wide receiver Matthew Golden in April. Maybe Packers GM Brian Gutekunst should also be on the hot seat.
The Packers’ offense was so bad on Monday that running back Josh Jacobs admitted that the Eagles knew the play called before the fourth-and-1 that resulted in Jacobs fumbling in the final 90 seconds of regulation.
There’s plenty of time for the Packers to establish a rhythm offensively, but they’re going to have several must-win games and a massive rematch against the Lions on Thanksgiving. All was well when Green Bay beat Detroit in Parsons’s debut in Week 1.
Now, the Packers could be thinking about the two first-round picks they sent to Dallas and questioning whether LaFleur is the right coach to lead this franchise.
Manzano’s view: Fact
There’s plenty of hype for Sunday’s NFC West showdown between the Rams (7–2) and Seahawks (7–2). But it’s gotten a bit out of control, because some believe the winner of this game could be in the driver’s seat to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX in February.
Let’s pump the brakes a bit. I’m excited for this matchup, too. But let’s stop overlooking the Eagles (7–2) just because their games are “boring.” The two NFC West contenders haven’t proven whether they can beat boring, also known as physical football.
Philadelphia’s defense now has the potential to be just as good or better than the units in Los Angeles and Seattle. The Eagles’ front is suddenly stacked with the return of Nolan Smith Jr. and the acquisition of Jaelan Phillips, who made clutch plays in his Philly debut during the win vs. Green Bay. Philadelphia also has a stacked interior defensive line with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo. The Rams know that trio well from the blocked kick that sealed the Eagles’ win in Week 3.
Yes, the Eagles tend to go cold as a passing attack, but they’re versatile and know how to find subtle advantages. Again, I’m looking forward to the first of two meetings between the Rams and Seahawks, but the better matchup will be Eagles vs. Lions on Sunday Night Football.
Manzano’s view: Fiction
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passed for 220 yards and rushed for 63 more against the Giants, totaling two touchdowns in a 24–20 win. / Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
First of all, Caleb Williams was sensational in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s comeback win against the Giants.
Williams put the team on his back and showed he’s well on his way to meeting the high expectations that were placed on him as the top pick in the 2024 draft.
With that said, the Bears (6–3) aren't going to have a cake walk into the postseason. They can’t afford to have a stagnant offense for three quarters against all the quality teams they’re going to face in the final two months of the season.
Chicago has a daunting NFC North schedule remaining, with two games against Green Bay, a Week 18 home meeting vs. Detroit and a game at Minnesota this week against a team it already lost to in the season opener. The Bears also face the Steelers, 49ers and Eagles in the final eight games of the regular season.
But the Bears, who currently hold the No. 6 seed in the NFC, have shown they’re capable of hanging with the top teams in the league. Now it’s about proving whether they can win some of those games.
Manzano’s view: Fiction
Legendary tight end Tony Gonzalez said on the Thursday Night Football postgame show following the atrocious game between the Broncos and Raiders that he told Brock Bowers to ask for the ball more on first and second down.
Hopefully, Bowers listened to Gonzalez and marched right into offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s office and demanded more targets. It’s inexcusable that Bowers only saw three targets with none in the second half.
The Raiders have one star player on offense and didn’t bother using him in the 10–7 loss against the Broncos. They had several opportunities to steal the game, but for whatever reason, Kelly just settled for Ashton Jeanty runs on first and second down that went nowhere. It’s clear Jeanty, the 2025 first-round pick, is not ready to be a workhorse back in the NFL. It should be all about Bowers for the remaining games this season.
And if Kelly’s head-scratching play-calling is a subtle way for the Raiders (2–7) to tank the rest of the season, then ignore what I just wrote. Yes, I’m partly kidding, but this team is in desperate need of valuable draft picks.
Manzano’s view: Fact
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