National Football League

NFL Hot Seat: 5 coaches who must win in Week 4

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians watches his team take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeat the Buccaneers 40-7. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL season is in full swing, but a few head coaches are already playing for their jobs heading into Week 4.

Heading into Week 4 of the NFL season, there are already a handful of teams that have failed to meet expectations. Every team naturally expects to at least compete for a playoff spot, but even some of the teams we thought were potential Super Bowl contenders were handed some tough losses this year.

No coach is going to get fired four weeks into the season. However, these five coaches need a big win in Week 4 if they’re going to avoid being put on the hot seat for the rest of the year.

5. Bruce Arians – Arizona Cardinals

Bruce Arians is arguably the most loved coach in the NFL. After winning Coach of the Year as the interim head coach in Indianapolis, Arians has come into Arizona and turned the Cardinals into a legitimate force in the NFC.

However, the NFL can be an unforgiving league, and the Cardinals are just 1-2 to start the season. Arians and company were handing an embarrassing loss this past week as well, falling 33-18 to a Buffalo Bills team that many aren’t expecting much from in 2016.

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Arians deserves his fair share of the blame for last week’s performance, but now the Cardinals need to shake it off and prepare for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. The NFC West rival is surprisingly 2-1 to start the season, but that isn’t expected to continue with Case Keenum playing under center.

Few teams that have started the season 1-3 have recovered to make it to the playoffs. The path won’t get much easier after this week either, with upcoming games against teams like the Panthers, Seahawks and Vikings.

If the Cardinals lose to another team that they are expected to blow out of the water, then Arians may have to start playing for his job. On the bright side, his job security is 100 times stronger than anyone else on this list.

Sep 1, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

4. John Fox – Chicago Bears

Picking on Chicago Bears head coach John Fox is a lot like fighting Roger Goodell with his hands tied behind his back. It’s not exactly fair, but we’re all still going to do it if given the chance.

The Bears will be playing the Detroit Lions this week without their two starters in the backfield, with both Jay Cutler and Jeremy Langford expected to miss some significant time. The offensive line is a mess, the defense can’t figure out how to stop anyone and the Bears are looking like a team that could very well wind up with the No. 1 overall pick.

Not all of this is on Fox, but he needs to at least make sure the Bears can compete every week if he wants to keep his job. On the bright side, backup running back Jordan Howard has looked good in limited opportunities and has a chance to help the Bears offense put some points on the board this Sunday.

The Lions don’t exactly look like world beaters this season, and the Bears need to grab a win at some point. If Chicago can’t grab a win on Sunday, Fox might want to start sending out his resume to get ready for his inevitable departure.

Sep 25, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Mularkey looks on against the Oakland Raiders at Nissan Stadium. The Raiders won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

3. Mike Mularkey – Tennessee Titans

Just look at Mike Mularkey’s face in that picture. Does that look like the face of someone who knows what they’re doing?

Sure, we can give the Tennessee Titans some love for coming back against the Lions. But beating the Lions is about as exciting as having Bill Belichick in a press conference talking about paint drying.

Marcus Mariota was supposed to be the savior for the Titans. Heck, they even added pieces like DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry to provide a running game. However, Mariota doesn’t have anyone legitimate to throw to with guys like Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharp starting at wideout.

On the other side of the ball, the Titans haven’t been terrible. They’ve given up just 19 points per game, but the offense hasn’t exactly been doing them any favors. At least Titans fans can reminisce about that time Chris Johnson rushed for over 2,000 yards seven years ago. That was pretty neat.

This is a team that people thought could have a breakout season, but Mularkey doesn’t look prepared to take this team to the next level. Sure, he’s only gotten to coach the team for 12 games so far, but I’m guessing that the Titans have a pretty short leash.

Sep 26, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton argues a call with field judge Doug Rosenbaum (67) during the first quarter of a game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

2. Sean Payton – New Orleans Saints

This might be the last truly great year for Drew Brees. Unfortunately, it’s being wasted on a New Orleans Saints team that’s already 0-3 and not looking to make a serious run at the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl.

The Saints defense is so bad that they actually might be better off having 11 drunk fans holding those signs that say “D” and have a picture of a literal fence play on that side of the ball. They’re giving up 31 points a game to three teams that didn’t even make the playoffs last year. I’m pretty sure that even Curtis Painter could throw for a couple of TDs against these guys.

That’s a shame because the offense is filled with playmakers. Guys like Brandin Cooks, Willie Snead, Michael Thomas, Coby Fleener and Mark Ingram are all making plays. But the defense is so bad that they are constantly having to put up points for the team to even have a chance at winning.

Sean Payton is a brilliant offensive mind, but his defenses have rarely been any better than atrocious. There were rumors that Payton might be gone after last season, and a 0-4 start to 2016 would probably put the final nail in his coffin.

Sep 25, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley reacts on the sideline in the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

1. Gus Bradley – Jacksonville Jaguars

What happened, Gus? This was supposed to be the year that the Jacksonville Jaguars finally became a playoff-caliber team with an unstoppable offense and a rejuvenated defense. Instead, the Jaguars are already 0-3 and hoping to avoid a fourth consecutive loss on Sunday in London.

Offensively, the Jaguars were supposed to be unstoppable with Blake Bortles throwing to guys like Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Julius Thomas. Instead, Bortles looks like pretty much every quarterback they’ve had for the past decade, throwing six interceptions through the first three games.

Rookie cornerback Jalen Ramsey can run his mouth all he wants, but the Jaguars still stink. A loss this week to the struggling Indianapolis Colts would be even more embarrassing considering Andrew Luck and company haven’t been able to get it together so far.

The Jaguars front office deserves a lot of credit for being patient with Bradley. Unfortunately, the clock is ticking for the Jaguars to get something going, and after the lofty expectations set this offseason, Bradley will probably be gone if the team can put up a winning record in 2016.