Cincinnati Bengals

NFL Week 11: 5 Coaches On Hot Seat

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:53 p.m. ET

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Oct 9, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Marvin Lewis prior to the game against Cincinnati Bengals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

These five coaches should be a bit worried as they find themselves on the hot seat in NFL Week 11

Between Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals to Jeff Fisher of the Los Angeles Rams, there’s plenty to discuss when it comes to the latest list of head coaches on the hot seat heading into NFL Week 11.

For whatever reason, the Bengals continue to give Lewis chances he doesn’t deserve. The head coach has received every opportunity in the world to prove himself, only to continue to disappointment. The fact that Lewis is in the middle of his 14th season with Cincinnati and has yet to record a single playoff win shows why he’s not the right man for the job.

At least for Fisher, the Rams found a way to earn a key victory on the road against the New York Jets without scoring a touchdown to take some of the pressure off the head coach. Even if Los Angeles finds a way to defeat the Miami Dolphins in Week 11, Fisher still has a long way to go when it comes to proving he deserves an extension as he’s currently in the final year of his contract.

Now that Lewis and Fisher have been revealed, take a look at who else made the unfortunate list of head coaches on the hot seat heading into NFL Week 11, beginning with Mike McCarthy.

Nov 6, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy walks off the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lambeau Field. The Colts beat the Packers 31-26. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Honorable Mention: Mike McCarthy (Not On Last Week’s List)

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Since Mike McCarthy took over the head coaching duties in 2006, the Green Bay Packers have only missed out on the playoffs twice, with the last time coming in 2008. While there’s still hope the Packers will end up making the playoffs this season when considering the NFC North is still wide-open, there’s plenty of concern surrounding McCarthy’s ability to lead this team when looking at their recent struggles.

Not only did the Tennessee Titans embarrass the Packers in Week 10, but Sunday marked the fourth loss in five games for McCarthy’s squad as they currently sit at 4-5 on the season. Sure, it’s easy to give Green Bay some benefit of the doubt when looking at all of the injuries they’ve had to deal with. But for a franchise with a rich history of winning, this excuse simply isn’t good enough.

The way fans see it, as long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy, there’s no reason for the Packers to be in this difficult situation. If anything, Green Bay should be taking advantage of the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions already having four losses at this point in the season instead of worrying about McCarthy’s job status as head coach.

Oct 30, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; San Diego Chargers head coach Mike McCoy before the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 27-19. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

5. Mike McCoy (Not On Last Week’s List)

Just when the San Diego Chargers seemed to be turning their season around by emerging as one of the hottest teams in the AFC, they go out and suffer an embarrassing home loss against the Miami Dolphins. And thanks to the loss, Mike McCoy has found himself on this list for the first time in a few weeks, which is obviously the last thing the head coach wants to see.

Prior to Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, the Chargers were on the rise in the AFC with three wins in four games, including victories over the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons. If it wasn’t for their disappointing 1-4 start, San Diego would be able to afford a loss at this point in the season. But with a 4-6 record, it’s safe to say McCoy can stick a fork in the 2016 season as playoffs appear to be a long shot.

San Diego was one of the most frustrating teams to follow in 2015 after nine of their 12 losses were by single digits. However, McCoy received some slack due to all of the injuries on both sides of the football. As far as this season is concerned, there’s no excuse for McCoy and the Chargers to only have four wins at this point in the regular season. Even worse, it doesn’t look like things are going to get better any time soon.

Nov 13, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach John Fox reacts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Chicago Bears 36-10. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

4. John Fox (Last Week No. 4)

Two weeks ago, there seemed to be hope surrounding John Fox and his relationship with Jay Cutler as the quarterback for the Chicago Bears after the team pulled off an impressive victory over the Minnesota Vikings. After last weekend’s embarrassing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rumors are beginning to heat up again about the relationship between Cutler and his teammates, which puts even more pressure on Fox.

It makes no sense how a team like Chicago can go from a key win over their division rivals in Minnesota to falling 36-10 to Tampa Bay two weeks later—especially since the Buccaneers defense ranks near the bottom of the league. And if the offense played this bad against one of the league’s worst defenses, just imagine how difficult the next four games are going to be without Alshon Jeffery. The Bears No. 1 receiver was recently suspended for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

In Fox’s defense, it’s never easy to go from having one of the league’s most talented teams in the Denver Broncos to coaching a mess of an organization like the Bears. The last two years in Chicago have been an absolute nightmare for Fox, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to improve any time soon.

Nov 13, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA;
Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher argues a call during a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

3. Jeff Fisher (Last Week No. 1)

Isn’t it amazing how the Los Angeles Rams have won twice this season in games where they’ve failed to record a single touchdown? Sunday’s game against the New York Jets may not have looked good on paper, but it was enough to cool down Jeff Fisher‘s hot seat for at least one week.

For a coach that reportedly received a four-game audition to prove he’s worthy of keeping his job at head coach, Fisher desperately needed this win against the Jets as the Rams had lost four games in a row prior to Sunday. While the defense has been the strength of this 4-5 team, it’s been the offense that’s been holding Los Angeles back from reaching the next level of being a true contender in the NFC.

Case Keenum has been one of the main reasons behind the team’s struggles on offense. But since Fisher has spent the entire season defending his quarterback, it was a surprise move to see the head coach announce that Jared Goff would be the starter against the Miami Dolphins. It’s a bold move for a head coach on the hot seat to go with an inexperienced rookie quarterback like Goff this late in the season, but Fisher hopes the high risk will pay off to keep his job a little safer.

Otherwise, Fisher will end up receiving even more criticism than he already has for waiting to long to play this year’s top pick.

Nov 13, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley looks on from the sideline in the second half against the Houston Texans at EverBank Field. Houston Texans won 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

2. Gus Bradley (Last Week No. 2)

Make that four straight losses for Gus Bradley and the Jacksonville Jaguars. His team missed out on another opportunity to get back on the winning track after falling 24-21 to the Houston Texans in Week 10. The fact that Houston was winless on the road (0-3) prior to Sunday’s game shows just how bad this Jacksonville team really is, and it’s tough not to wonder just how much longer Bradley is going to last as head coach.

At the beginning of the season, the Jaguars were considered one of the teams in the AFC ready to make the leap to become playoff contenders when looking at all of the weapons Blake Bortles has to work with on offense. Instead, Jacksonville’s offense has established a reputation for waiting to put up big numbers until the end of the game when it’s already too late as Bortles has earned the unfortunate role of being the king of garbage time.

Bradley was already facing a ton of pressure entering his fourth season as head coach for the Jaguars considering he had never won more than five games in a single season. With a 2-7 record heading into Week 11, all signs point to the Jaguars failing to record more than five wins once again. At this point, though, the real miracle would be Bradley still being the head coach at season’s end.

Nov 14, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis walks the sideline during the pregame warmups for their game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

1. Marvin Lewis (Last Week No. 3)

Any head coach in the middle of his 14th season with a team and a career 0-7 playoff record would have been fired a long time ago, unless that head coach happens to be Marvin Lewis. With that being said, it’s hard not to wonder just how much longer the Cincinnati Bengals are going to put up with the continuous disappointments that come with having Lewis as their head coach.

Every week, it seems like the Bengals just find new ways of losing game, with the latest coming on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants. From failing to take advantage of two turnovers by Eli Manning to allowing the Giants to score what ended up being the game-winning touchdown on a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line, the Bengals realize they had no right to lose this game.

The sad thing is, despite all that’s happened for Cincinnati during this recent slump, they’re still in decent shape when it comes to staying in the hunt for the AFC North title thanks to similar struggles of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. Even if that is the case, a team like the Bengals only winning one game over their last five contests is the perfect example of why Cincinnati fans are quickly losing faith in Lewis.

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