Ups and Downs For New NFL Coaches
Who’s Looking Good and Who’s Already in Trouble?
Not All Coaches Are Made The Same…
Being an NFL head coach is one of the hardest jobs on the planet. Then just imagine how much more difficult it is when it’s your first year on the job. Ten new head coaches took the field for this 2022 NFL season with different results. Some have become favored to win the Coach of the Year per the NFL odds while some may not even make it through the whole season.
We examine all 10 new head coaches and group them into tiers based on how well (or badly) things are going.
Let’s check the latest NFL picks, stats, injury reports, and NFL predictions. We’ve plenty of NFL expert picks for you to consider.
Coach of the Year Talks
Only two new head coaches have things going all too swimmingly: the Miami Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Doug Pederson. The two have seen their online sports betting lines for Coach of the Year shorten significantly to 5-1 and 7-1, respectively. This puts them behind the favorite: Philadelphia Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni at 3-1.
McDaniel has the Miami Dolphins at 3-0 making them the only unbeaten team in the AFC. Their last two games have been memorable as the Dolphins overcame a 21-point deficit to stun the Ravens then snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Bills.
As for the Jaguars, they overcame a loss to Washington in Week 1 to blow out the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers. Pederson’s team won the games by an average of 26 points and are second in the NFL in point differential at +46.
McDaniel could become the first rookie head coach to win the award since Matt Nagy did it with the Chicago Bears in 2018. As for Pederson, he was a finalist to win the award in 2017 but lost out to another rookie coach in the Rams’ Sean McVay. This is his second stint as an NFL head coach.
Doing Well But Could Get Better
Several other new head coaches have their teams in a good spot even if they have seen mixed results. Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings has the team at 2-1 in what has been a mini-rollercoaster of a season already. The Vikings opened the year by upsetting the Green Bay Packers then were dominated by the Philadelphia Eagles. The team also barely got by the Lions in Week 3.
Todd Bowles, on the other hand, has the Buccaneers playing at an elite level defensively. The Bucs have allowed a league-best 27 points. The team lost to the Packers in an ugly game but you can’t blame Bowles for the absences of some of his top receivers.
If only Daniel Jones showed up on Monday Night Football then Brian Daboll and the Giants would be unbeaten at 3-0. As it stands, the Giants are still 2-1 and Daboll is at 12-1 to win the Coach of the Year. This is not a bad bet online if this team can pull off more upsets as it did in Week 1 against Tennessee. A tough three-week slate beginning in Week 5 will reveal whether Daboll should be a tier above or a tier below.
In For A Long Season…
Matt Eberflus and the Bears are somehow 2-1 despite being last in total yards (795) with 235 passing yards through three games. Chicago found a way to upset San Francisco (with a little help from a thunderstorm) and eked by Houston. No one is convinced that Eberflus will keep this up, however, as his Coach of the Year odds remains a longshot at 50-1.
Not much was expected from Lovie Smith when he took over the Houston Texans’ job. The team drew Indianapolis in Week 1 then almost beat Denver and Chicago. If he gets points for trying, Smith should be praised. As such, this team does not figure to go anywhere though winning as many games as last season, four, shouldn’t be too much to ask for.
As for Dennis Allen and the Saints, it’s also been an ugly season. The New Orleans Saints needed a 17-point fourth quarter to edge the Falcons in Week 1. Then in the next two weeks, the offense kept coughing up the ball thus leading to losses. It’s not entirely on Allen that Jameis Winston is a turnover machine. But their defense, his specialty, has given up the seventh-most rushing yards and is ranked 19th overall in points allowed.
Already on the Hot Seat
This spot is reserved specifically for two coaches: the Denver Broncos’ Nathaniel Hackett and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh McDaniels. Even though the Broncos are 2-1, which is the same as many of the new coaches’ teams on this list, the way Denver has looked may as well make it an 0-3 team.
Denver has scored the second-fewest points in the league. Their $245-million-dollar man, Russell Wilson, is playing like a backup quarterback and is posting the worst passer rating in his career. The defense is what has carried Denver, which ranks second in points allowed. But Hackett was hired as an offensive coach.
Hackett’s playcalling was so egregious that he had to bring Jerry Rosburg out of retirement to serve as his senior assistant. Not a good look to say the least.
Last and definitely the least is McDaniels. The Raiders were supposed to be a great team by most NFL predictions. Instead, the team is the only 0-3 team in the NFL. To the team’s defense, they’ve played two playoff teams from 2021 and the Chargers. Not exactly pushover teams.
Still, McDaniels already had a long private meeting with team owner Mark Davis. He’s lost 10 of the last 11 games he’s coached on top of getting fired from Denver for a videotaping scandal. If the Raiders continue to slide, we’re not so sure McDaniels can make it through the season.
