Bill Belichick, Coaches Under Most Pressure for Rest of NFL Season After Week 5
With Week 5 completed, a handful of teams across the NFL have entered a key evaluation period.
While it may seem early in the season, life in the league happens fast. For some, teams are looking to bolster a roster for a potential playoff run to come; for others, attention has rapidly turned toward the future of the head coach.
With a quarter of the season already gone, here's a list of coaches whose seat is getting warmer as we approach Week 6.
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
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It almost doesn't feel real to list Bill Belichick as a potential out in New England.
A future Hall of Famer and the straw that has stirred the drink for decades, the Patriots head coach and de facto general manager sits on a seat that's as hot as it's ever been during his tenure.
Since Tom Brady left in 2020, the conversation has been fluid around how Belichick's regime would operate without the legendary quarterback.
In 2023, though, the Patriots have been nothing more than a below-average team with no clear path forward. A stagnant offense ranks dead last in football with a mere 11.0 points per outing, and quarterback Mac Jones has been benched in consecutive weeks.
Following a 38-3 drubbing by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, Belichick suffered the largest home loss of his time in charge of the team on Sunday when the New Orleans Saints won 34-0 at Gillette Stadium.
Envisioning team owner Robert Kraft firing Belichick remains unlikely considering their success together, but tensions will only escalate as the team continues to spin its tires.
Currently, the Patriots are heading up the proverbial creek without a paddle with matchups against the Bills (3-2) and Dolphins (4-1) to come in two of the next three weeks.
Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
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Expectations remain at a Super Bowl level every year in Dallas. It's just the way things are under do-it-all owner Jerry Jones.
The 32-point blowout against the San Francisco 49ers will have been painful for head coach Mike McCarthy—and Jones.
It's the seesaw we annually see from Dallas: Blowout wins that generate buzz followed by an embarrassing outing that forces big-picture questions. However, the focus will always remain on the individual at the controls.
For a franchise that has a microscope over its every move, McCarthy's fourth year won't see his wins praised in September and October. Jones wants success in late January.
A 3-2 record through five games is nothing to scoff at, but it's always about the long term in Dallas. Is McCarthy the man to steer the ship?
Sunday night's loss against the Niners said a lot about where the Cowboys stand among the true contenders in the NFC.
Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
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Sunday's loss to the New York Jets was the gut punch of all gut punches for the Denver Broncos.
In a game that was deemed personal by Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah, New York walked out of Mile High Stadium with a grin after defeating Sean Payton's team.
A year after the failed regime under Nathaniel Hackett—now the Jets offensive coordinator—Payton was viewed as the saving grace for a talented Broncos roster.
While Hackett was seemingly the lone figure of blame for a 5-12 record last fall, a 1-4 start through five games in 2023 has meant a re-evaluation for some.
For Payton, the days of handing the keys to quarterback Drew Brees and allowing him to dissect defenses are long over. A Denver roster budding with young talent needs development, schematic influence and something to rally around. Most importantly, perhaps, improvement from Russell Wilson is required.
All in all, it's a roster ready to compete now. One win in five weeks simply won't cut it.
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Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders
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Sub-.500 football is what Commanders fans have come to expect under Ron Rivera.
Now in his fourth year in charge, the head coach has yet to lead Washington over .500 in his first three full seasons. His lone playoff appearance came via a 7-9 year in 2020 that was enough to win the division.
While organizational issues outside of his control have holstered much of the spotlight since he arrived, the product on the field hasn't been up to snuff in his 55 games.
An organization that has failed to get the quarterback spot right for years, an attempt at solving the team's positional issues fell flat after acquiring Carson Wentz in March 2022.
A 2-0 start under new ownership and second-year QB Sam Howell was a positive. Since its Week 2 win in Denver, though, Washington has fallen in three straight games and allowed 144 points in its last four contests.
A 40-20 blowout loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 5 has cranked up the heat on Rivera's seat.
Robert Saleh, New York Jets
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If Aaron Rodgers were healthy, the narrative on the Jets season would no doubt be entirely different.
However, the future Hall of Famer remains on the shelf, and Zach Wilson has been tested in his place. Even coach Robert Saleh's consistent public support of the quarterback has been questioned by players on his own defense.
As much as general manager Joe Douglas held the controls on draft night, Saleh's evaluation had a major influence on whether Wilson should be the No. 2 pick in 2021.
However, two games of average play from the BYU product simply won't move the needle. It's good to see the Jets competing, but this was a roster looking back to 2022 that looked primed to compete in a deep AFC East.
Success at the QB position holds a ton of weight, but consecutive basement finishes in the two years prior should open eyes considering the talent in New York.
Saleh may get some slack following the injury to Rodgers, but another fourth-place finish in the East this fall could see the Jets cut ties no matter who is under center for the future.
Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears
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A Week 5 blowout of the Washington Commanders provides reason for optimism for the Chicago Bears.
However, envisioning anything consistent under Matt Eberflus looks like wishful thinking 22 games into his tenure. Quarterback Justin Fields continues to prove he has the talent to succeed (eight touchdown passes his last two games), but one win in nearly a full calendar year should invite change.
Bears fans will be tired of hearing the world "rebuild," but getting an offensive-minded leader in the building to work with Fields looks to be the cleanest path forward back toward relevancy.
The team has talent around the dual-threat signal-caller with pass-catchers DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet. On defense, Andrew Billings has been good in the trenches, and the linebacking tandem of T.J. Edwards and Terrell Edmunds isn't too shabby, either.
A fresh start is needed in Chicago, and it should be a matter of when, not if, general manager Ryan Poles makes a move.
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