The toughest gig in the NFL is the head coaching job. It’s the most coveted position but also the hardest to retain for any length of time.
Of the 32 positions in the league, invariably a number change hands at the end of a given season. The 2021 NFL season saw a grand total of 10 head coaches frogmarched out of the building, matching a record met as recently as 2006.
These 10 vacancies have since been filled with head men sporting varying degrees of experience — some familiar names, as well as first-time head coaches, are in the mix. All face similar high expectations in a results-driven league, but not all will start from the same vantage point.
Some are set to inherit well-established teams that are considered legitimate contenders according to the latest Vegas NFL odds. Others are a “work in progress” and likely to be no better than an “also ran” in 2022.
With that in mind, we turn our attention to an NFL specials market currently trading at BetUS: The New NFL Coach To Lose More Games in 2022.
Read on as we weigh in on these odds and discuss some of the best bets to spot for your NFL lines in this market.
NFL New Coach To Lose More Games in 2022
- Lovie Smith (Texans) -200
- Matt Eberflus (Bears) +400
- Doug Pederson (Jaguars) +500
- Brian Daboll (Giants) +800
- Dennis Allen (Saints) +800
- Kevin O’Connell (Vikings) +1200
- Mike McDaniel (Dolphins) +1200
- Josh McDaniels (Raiders) +1400
- Nathaniel Hackett (Broncos) +1800
- Todd Bowles (Buccaneers) +2000
Top Four Favorites
The top four in this market aren’t surprising. Lovie Smith, Matt Eberflus, Doug Pederson, and Brian Daboll are facing some of the worst situations and joining organizations with chronic problems that aren’t likely to be fixed in one season.
Thus, all come across as viable options in this market to bet. However, Smith is arguably in the worst position of all in Houston and that makes a bet on the newly minted Texans head coach the top bet in this market.
Lovie Smith -200
Lovie Smith is a widely respected head coach, but unfortunately, the NFL odds are stacked against him in this NFL betting market for good reason. To put it simply, (and borrow CNN’s Jake Tapper’s words) he inherits a team that is a “hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck.”
Can you name a player on this team off the top of your head? The quarterback? Exactly. This is a team that went 4-13-0 last season. It’s hard to imagine it will improve on that mark in the state it is in now.
Matt Eberflus +400
First-time head coach Matt Eberflus inherits a potential franchise quarterback in Justin Fields, but a team that is going through an existential crisis. Add to that the challenges faced in a tough NFC North dominated by the Green Bay Packers and heated rivalries with the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, and Eberflus faces an uphill battle.
Fields is entering his second year. The problem the sophomore signal caller faces is a lack of offensive weapons. He is a dual-threat quarterback, but forcing him to run the ball isn’t an effective long-term strategy and exposes him to injury. That said, the Bears went 6-11-0 in 2021. Eberflus will be expected to better that mark.
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Doug Pederson +500
Former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is back in the saddle after a one-year absence. He takes over from disgraced first-time NFL head coach Urban Meyer in Jacksonville. Meyer contributed to the Jaguars’ woeful 3-14-0 season. However, the Jaguars’ woes go deeper — this is an organization that has had one winning season in the last 14 years. In some respects, Pederson’s mandate to turn around this organization is the toughest.
Meyer failed to tap into the potential of rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was touted as a generational talent ahead of the 2021 NFL draft. Will Pederson fare better? It’s hard to see him doing it in his first season. Building rapport with his young quarterback and surrounding him with the talent to succeed takes time.
Brian Daboll +800
Brian Daboll left a bona fide Super Bowl contender, the Buffalo Bills, to take the New York Giants head coaching job. Daboll played a big part in developing Josh Allen over the last few years and it’s that success as the Bills’ offensive coordinator that landed him the gig in the Big Apple.
Daboll faces a similar mandate with quarterback Daniel Jones, who has struggled in his first three years in the NFL. The jury is out on Jones. However, on a pure talent level, the gap in quality between Jones and Allen is massive. Daboll might be able to get the best out of Jones, but it remains to be seen whether that will be enough.
