National Football League

NFL Hot Seat: 5 Head Coaches who must win in Week 13

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

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As the NFL regular season winds down, these five head coaches need to win this week in order to avoid being put on the hot seat.

This has been a weird NFL season, especially considering there are probably only three or four teams with legitimately good chances of winning the Super Bowl. The rest of the league is “meh” at best, and it feels like there are more coaches coaching for their jobs than there have been in recent years.

The NFL is an unforgiving league for head coaches, and a few of them are already starting to feel the hot seat warming up. Week 13 could play a pivotal role in the future of multiple head coaches, so here are a few who desperately need a win this week to avoid being put on the hot seat.

Nov 17, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines in the fourth quarter. The Panthers defeated the Saints 23-20 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Sean Payton

New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees is putting up MVP-caliber numbers for the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, Brees and the offense might not be able to do enough to save Sean Payton’s job by the end of the season.

The Saints were able to avoid a three-game losing streak with a strong 49-21 win over the Los Angeles Rams last week. Still, the Saints are just 5-6 and have a tough matchup on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

By far the biggest problem for the Saints is their defense, just like it has been almost every year under Payton. New Orleans currently ranks 30th in the NFL with 27.9 points allowed per contest and 26th with 370.5 yards per game given up. That defense will have its hands full going against Matthew Stafford and a dangerous Lions passing attack.

Payton’s future with the Saints was unclear after the 2015 season with back-to-back 7-9 seasons. Another year with a losing record could have the Saints looking to make some changes to their coaching staff in the offseason, and that would likely include finding a new head coach.

Nov 6, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano reacts in the fourth quarter during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Chuck Pagano

Indianapolis Colts

Good news, Indianapolis Colts fans! Your team is 5-6 and actually exceed my expectations for this season. The bad news? Being mediocre this year is killing their chances to rebuild an actual Super Bowl contender around Andrew Luck.

The crazy thing is that mediocrity might be good enough for Chuck Pagano to keep his job. However, the Colts could still wind up with a losing record and an early draft pick given the rest of their schedule.

This week, the Colts will take on the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. Last year, this game was a disaster for the Colts, losing 20-7 in front of a home crowd. The Jets have had a rough season, but they still have a solid chance to take down Indianapolis.

Luck will be back this week after missing the Thanksgiving game against Pittsburgh due to a concussion. However, if the offensive line can’t protect him, then the Colts are going to have a hard time winning this one.

A 5-7 record isn’t the worst thing in the world, but each loss increases the chances that Pagano is fired after the end of the season.

Nov 20, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy stands on the sidelines against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 42-24. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Mike McCarthy

Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has been No. 1 on the NFL Hot Seat for the past three weeks, so the fact that he’s only No. 3 on the list this week should count as a win for him.

A 27-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football helped the Packers snap a four-game losing streak while quieting some of the critics. However, just because the Packers got a win doesn’t mean that everything is fine now.

The Packers are still just 5-6 and third in the NFC North with their chances of making the playoffs dwindling every week. They’ll have another chance to grab a win against a struggling Houston Texans team to move to 6-6 before a tough matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

Green Bay’s front office has made it clear that they’re going to wait to make any decisions until the end of the season. However, a loss to Houston would be a crushing blow to McCarthy’s job security and essentially end any chances at making the postseason.

McCarthy has been criticized heavily for only going to one Super Bowl with arguably the most efficient quarterback in NFL history with Aaron Rodgers. If they miss the playoffs for the first time since their 6-10 season in 2008 (Rodgers’ first as a starter), then the fans will start calling for McCarthy’s head, and they’ll probably get it.

Nov 20, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox during the first half of the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

John Fox

Chicago Bears

Is it John Fox’s fault that the Chicago Bears are awful? Well, yeah, but it’s not all on him. The quarterback situation has been a mess, players keep getting hurt and suspended and the team has just seemed flat all year.

Unfortunately, even if it isn’t all his fault, the only thing that really matters is the record. The Bears are currently just 2-9 with a 31st-ranked offense that is scoring just 16.2 points per contest while also ranking 28th in the league with a minus-eight turnover differential.

In one and a half seasons with the Bears, Fox has put up an 8-19 record. He was supposed to be the go-to guy to help Jay Cutler finally become the leader of this team. Instead, Cutler keeps getting hurt and is likely going to be cut after this season.

This week could have a serious impact in whether or not Fox returns to coach for Chicago next year. The Bears are taking on a 1-10 San Francisco 49ers squad that is just as bad as Chicago. If they can’t beat a team that’s as bad as the 49ers, regardless of who is playing under center, then Fox doesn’t really deserve another shot at coaching the team in 2017.

Oct 30, 2016; London, United Kingdom; Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis reacts in the second quarter against the Washington Redskins during game 17 of the NFL International Series at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Marvin Lewis

Cincinnati Bengals

The second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL (wait, really?) could finally be fired after this season. The Cincinnati Bengals are just 3-7-1 this year, and it might already be too late for Marvin Lewis to save his job.

Lewis has been the head coach for the Bengals since 2003. During his tenure with the franchise, Lewis has led the Bengals to a 115-101-3 record in the regular season and a depressing 0-7 in the playoffs. Yet somehow Lewis has been able to keep his job all of these years.

The fact that Lewis has never won a playoff game doesn’t help his case, but missing the playoffs entirely could put the nail in the coffin. The only reason the Bengals aren’t last in their division is because the winless Cleveland Browns are also in the AFC North.

This week, the Bengals take on an inconsistent Philadelphia Eagles team, and a loss would guarantee that Cincinnati finishes with a losing record. Considering how much talent the Bengals have on their team, a losing record is going to be inexcusable and will likely mean that Lewis is gone in a couple of months.