Is It Hot in Here? 4 NFL Coach/QB Combos Who Are Facing the Most Heat

It's that time of year again in the NFL. The time of year where playoff races are abundant and coaches begin to sweat out their final few games, hoping to avoid a pink slip.

Several teams have had seasons with subpar performances in 2011. Some were worse than others, but they were all disappointing for each one's fanbase.

The new year could bring about a ton of change that will shake up the coaching trees throughout the NFL. Tony Sparano and Todd Haley were the first two dominoes to fall.

Who will be the next domino to fall?

Steve Spagnuolo and Sam Bradford

Steve Spagnuolo and the St. Louis Rams did not have the season they expected in 2011.

Picked by several to be a contender for the NFC West crown, the Rams have done nothing but disappoint in 2011.

Spagnuolo has not received too much attention for his team's disappointing season thanks to several other captivating headlines around the league.

Do not be fooled, though. Once the regular season begins to wind down, the national media begins to evaluate who should keep their jobs and who shouldn't.

The Rams are acutely aware of their poor record and will have to decide if Spagnuolo stays or not.

The injuries to Sam Bradford have affected the Rams offense in 2011. Bradford showed a ton of promise last year and great poise for a rookie. However, even before being riddled with injuries, Bradford did not look like the same guy from a year ago.

Bradford's absence in several games have taken a toll on the Rams offense. They currently sit dead last at No.32 in overall offense.

St. Louis' new offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, has been unable to circumvent their problems despite having one of the best, hard-nosed running backs in the game. He also received the luxury addition of Brandon Lloyd midway through the season, but that hasn't helped change the offense's production.

St. Louis is currently in the midst of a five-game losing streak, which is their second five-game losing streak of the season. They sit at a pitiful 2-12 and could easily end the season 2-14.

Spagnuolo is starting to feel the heat rise as people in St. Louis have turned their attention away from the St. Louis Cardinals World Series run and have taken notice of the Rams grossly underwhelming performance.

St. Louis will have several decisions to make going forward in the offseason, and Spagnuolo's replacement might be one of them.

Raheem Morris and Josh Freeman

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers under the guidance of Raheem Morris were a young, rising team in 2010.

Tampa Bay seemingly found their quarterback of the future with Josh Freeman and a head coach in Raheem Morris that turned the team into a competitive contender.

Oh, what a difference a year can make. In 2011, the Bucs have been nowhere close to that.

They are currently in the middle of an eight-game losing streak and could very well end the season with 10 straight losses.

They have lost by an average of 17.4 points per game this season. Or by three scores, if you want to look at it that way.

Freeman has regressed tremendously during 2011 from what we all thought was his coming-out party in 2010. He has 18 interceptions and 13 touchdowns going into Week 16.

At this point last season, Freeman had recorded 18 touchdowns and only six interceptions. In his final two games, he threw for seven more touchdowns with no interceptions.

Due to Freeman's regression, among several other things, Morris could find himself without a job in 2012. The NFC South will only continue to strengthen with the emergence of Cam Newton for the Carolina Panthers.

Morris should consider conducting a search for the real Mike Williams, because the one currently playing for him is merely a shadow of the 2010 Williams. Tampa Bay's defense needs to improve in 2012 as well, right after they find who kidnapped Mike Williams.

If Morris can't rally the troops for the final two games, no amount of reasoning will justify losing 10 straight.

If the Bucs lose their final two games, Morris will be as good as gone.

Andy Reid and Michael Vick

For those of you who do not have to hear the Philadelphia media on a daily basis, consider yourself lucky.

Similar to the national media's obsession with all things Tim Tebow, the media in Philadelphia have been calling for Andy Reid to be fired every year since 2005.

This year, the Philly media have become more vocal and adamant in their desire to see Reid leave town.

They smell blood.

Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles have yet to live up to their preseason billing—despite how outlandish the expectations were.

The Eagles stole the show in free agency and placed a giant target on their back after declaring themselves the "Dream Team."

Michael Vick signed his second $100 million-plus contract of his career during the offseason and hasn't lived up to his stated worth, either. Vick's performances—or lack thereof due to injuries—have several Philadelphians wondering if their beloved Eagles reached a little too far, too soon.

Vick's play has certainly hurt Reid's cause in 2011, but nothing has been more damning than hiring Juan Castillo as his defensive coordinator. Reid could have gone anywhere in the NFL and had his pick of the lot when it came to hiring his new defensive coordinator last winter.

Instead, he promoted from within—which coincides with Reid's track record—and hired his offensive line coach, Castillo.

The Philadelphia media have beaten this drum so often during the 2011 season that even the little drummer boy is sick of hearing it—and it's not even Christmas yet. The outcry from the fans and the media have had little effect on the organization's decisions in the past.

Reid has his team scratching and crawling trying to stay alive in the playoff race. Despite the heat from the media and a contingent of fans, Reid doesn't seem to be going anywhere unless it's on his own accord.

Norv Turner and Philip Rivers

Philip Rivers may be saving Norv Turner's job due to his play in the last few weeks.

The San Diego Chargers went into a midseason skid, losing six straight after their bye week in Week 6.

In their last three games, however, the Chargers have outscored their opponents 109-38, which has put them right back in the hunt for a Wild Card spot.

Turner is not off the hook just yet.

The San Diego fanbase along with the media were calling for his head and the head of the general manager A.J. Smith.

The national media began questioning whether or not Turner could last till the end of the season with the way things were going prior to their current three-game winning streak.

Rivers has been red hot in the past three weeks. He has a completion percent average of 75.07 percent and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of seven-to-zero. His play has been a far cry from the performances during their six-week slide.

However, Turner will still be under pressure in the coming weeks to make the playoffs and make a run in the playoffs—something that does not seem out of the question if the Chargers can keep up their fever-pitched pace.

If they do not storm into the playoffs because they turned it on too late, the calls for Turner's head will once again resurface in San Diego.

Fans have grown weary of the repeated disappointment year in and year out of this franchise's inability to put things together during the playoffs. The seat may be warm at the moment, but the temperature rises just as quickly as it falls, if not quicker.