Welcome to Belly Up’s Over-Reactionary Coach’s Hot Seat Scale for NFL Week 16! (Or BUORCHSS, for short.) Only two weeks remain in the 2020 NFL season. Some teams were eliminated from the playoffs while other teams strengthened their position in the draft. Even though (baby) it’s cold outside, the hot seat scale remains warm!
Coach-for-Life
Sean Peyton, Bruce Arians, Brian Flores, Andy Reid, Mike Tomlin, Matt Nagy, John Harbaugh, Mike McCarthy, Pete Carroll, Matt LaFleur, Sean McDermott.
Several coaches guided their teams to playoff berths or are on the cusp of capturing a playoff berth. Arians’ Bucs are headed to their first playoff appearance since 2007 after a dominant win over the Lions. McCarthy’s Cowboys are on a winning streak and could win the NFC East (with some help) after a win over the Eagles. Reid’s Chiefs captured home field advantage in the AFC following a narrow win against Atlanta. Nagy’s Bears won their third game in a row with a rout of the Jaguars. This is thanks to the improved play of sometimes unnecessarily maligned quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Here’s a fun stat on how much Trubisky has improved this season:
Update: Mitch Trubisky’s career passer rating moved up to 87.4, still No. 1 in Bears history (min. 10 starts at QB).
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) December 28, 2020
His 2020 passer rating is 95.3. That’s 0.1 behind his 2018 mark, which was the best in franchise history (min. 10 starts).
Tepid
Darren Rovell, Kyle Shanahan, Kliff Kingsbury, Adam Gase, Frank Reich, Zac Taylor, Romeo Crennel, Anthony Lynn, Vic Fangio, Matt Rhule, Ron Rivera, Doug Pedersen, Matt Vrabel, Bill Belichick.
Several of these coaches are either back in this scale or making their first appearance in a while. Shanahan’s 49ers beat Kingsbury’s Cardinals to potentially spoil the Cardinals’ playoff hopes. Other teams that might have their playoff hopes dashed include Reich’s Colts, Rivera’s Football team, and Vrabel’s Titans. Reich’s Colts were up 24-7 on the Steelers in Pittsburgh but couldn’t move the football in the second half and fell 28-24. Rhule’s Panthers snapped a three-game skid in D.C. Rivera was so disappointed that he cut Dwayne Haskins the following day.
We have released QB Dwayne Haskins pic.twitter.com/KRrWxWra7E
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) December 28, 2020
Vrabel’s Titans had the opportunity to take control of the AFC South but were thrashed in the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. Finally, Gase makes his first appearance in this part of the hot seat scale after Week 16 of the NFL. However, it appears that the Jets’ winning streak won’t matter according to New York’s WFAN.
Craig breaks the news that Chris Johnson has told Adam Gase he will be fired as HC of NYJ…and Evan reacts. @CartonRoberts pic.twitter.com/CuX5ZMXClN
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) December 29, 2020
Instant Pot
Mike Zimmer, Jon Gruden, Kevin Stefanski, Joe Judge, Raheem Morris.
My goodness, how the mighty have fallen! Zimmer’s Vikings were looking at becoming a dark horse in the NFC playoff picture. Their playoff hopes were dashed thanks in part to six (SIX!) Alvin Kamara touchdowns on Christmas Day.
The #Vikings are 6-9 with one week left in the season, and are officially eliminated from the playoffs. It’s their first losing season since Mike Zimmer’s first year in 2014. They’ll finish things out against the Lions next Sunday.
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) December 26, 2020
Another team that have lost their last three are Gruden’s Raiders. They were officially eliminated from the playoffs after the Dolphins rallied to beat the Raiders on Saturday.
Just when, baby?
— Raiders Beat (@RaidersBeat) December 28, 2020
Stefanski’s Browns had a golden opportunity to clinch the team’s first playoff berth since 2002, but they couldn’t get their vaunted run game going against the Jets quarterback. Baker Mayfield was forced to throw 53 times as the Browns were upset.
Kevin Stefanski on 23-16 loss to Jets: “We got beat today. I got outcoached, we got outplayed. We did the things we can’t do, minus-2 in turnover battle, penalties, drops, not good. Credit to the Jets.”
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) December 27, 2020
Yeah, you deserve to be in this part of the hot seat scale in NFL Week 16 when you publicly say that you got outcoached by Adam Gase.
Judge’s Giants and Morris’ Falcons also lost their third game in a row. Look at the bright side, Giants and Falcons fans: your respective teams did go up in the draft order.
Circle of Hell: Level 8
Doug Marrone, Sean McVay.
How bad are things in Jacksonville? Marrone is obviously not going to be the coach of the Jaguars next season. When your beat writers are celebrating the fact that the Jaguars secured the number one pick, you know things are bad.
I’m so excited I might have two more kids. Name one Trevor and one Lawrence.
— Hays Carlyon (@HaysCarlyon) December 27, 2020
Perhaps the hottest of the hot seats after NFL Week 16 belongs to McVay. The Rams followed their shambolic performance against the Jets with an absolute dud in Seattle. After being on all cylinders and in the hunt for the NFC West title, McVay’s Rams find themselves on the edge of missing out of the playoffs altogether. Worse yet (or maybe better), they won’t have Jared Goff at quarterback in a key match against the Cardinals.
Really disappointing loss if you’re the Rams, and especially the Rams offense (once again).
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) December 28, 2020
I believe the playoffs, however, are still in sight if Rams beat the Cardinals OR if the Bears lose to the Packers.
Toast
Bill O’Brien, Dan Quinn, Matt Patricia.
Expect more to join this list following Black Monday on January 4.
