Jason Garrett Odds-on Favorite to Be 1st NFL Head Coach Fired After Texans Loss

Joseph Zucker @@JosephZuckerFeatured ColumnistOctober 8, 2018

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 30: Head coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys stands on the sidelines during the game against the Detroit Lionsat AT&T Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Oddsmakers have Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett as the favorite to be fired first during the 2018 NFL season.

Garrett is +350 to get his walking papers, with Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter in second at +500, per Brandon Lee Gowton of SB Nation's Bleeding Green Nation:

Brandon Lee Gowton @BrandonGowton
Odds for first NFL head coach to be fired (via @BetDSI). Cowboys HC Jason Garrett is the favorite right now. https://t.co/vWl764vcGA

The Cowboys fell to 2-3 on Sunday night with a 19-16 overtime defeat to the Houston Texans.

They now sit 28th in total offense (307.8 yards per game) and 30th in scoring (16.6 points per game). Dallas' offensive struggles would be enough to put Garrett on the hot seat.

He didn't help his case Sunday night when he decided punt on a 4th-and-1 on Houston's 42-yard line in overtime. Ka'imi Fairbairn hit the game-winning field goal on the Texans' next possession.

Many argued the Cowboys needed to go for it on fourth down, especially since they have an elite running back in Ezekiel Elliott on the roster.

Warren Sharp @SharpFootball
With the most expensive offensive line & the RB he drafted No. 4 overall, Jason Garrett punted on 4th & 1 in OT from the opponent's 42. Next time Garrett says "I don't know what a conservative offense is", someone please give him a hand mirror.

Yaya Dubin @JADubin5
Jason Garrett's Cowboys have converted 4th-and-3 or fewer in opposition territory 75% OF THE TIME since he became full-time coach in 2011. That's 4th in the NFL. And yet, Garrett has kicked (punt/FG) in that situation more often than all but two teams. https://t.co/aUo7ZofITt https://t.co/24bNGpCZOg

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Dallas owner Jerry Jones isn't against firing a coach midseason, if the 2010 season is any evidence. The Cowboys dismissed Wade Phillips after a 1-7 start, with Garrett taking over as the interim coach.

That's the only instance in which the franchise made a coaching change in the middle of the year, though, so things may need to get even more dire before Jones seriously contemplates firing Garrett.

Koetter might be the smarter bet to get the axe first. The Buccaneers have lost two games in a row and they have a tough stretch of games coming up.

The Atlanta Falcons are 1-4, but three of those losses came by six or fewer points. Then come games against the resurgent Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals before a difficult road matchup with the 3-1 Carolina Panthers.

Ryan Fitzpatrick regressed after a blistering start and Jameis Winston threw for 145 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a 48-10 Week 4 defeat to the Chicago Bears.

"We should fire everybody that was on that field today, starting with me," Koetter said after that game, per the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud. "That was horrific."

That might happen if Koetter can't turn things around soon.