SPORT NEWS: NFL Hot-Seat Meter: Matt Eberflus, Daniel Jones and more under pressure entering Week 11.giang

The 2024 NFL season hasn’t been as favorable to some teams as others. Through 10 weeks, 11 teams have three or fewer wins, and there have been some surprises among the league’s struggling teams.

While the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants didn’t carry high expectations into September, teams like the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets were at least expected to be playoff-relevant.

When teams struggle—especially when they do so unexpectedly—change often follows. We’ve already seen the Panthers and Indianapolis Colts make quarterback changes this season, while both the Jets and New Orleans Saints have fired their head coaches.

With eight weeks remaining in the regular season, we surely haven’t seen the last of coaching changes or demotions.

Here, you’ll find a look at the coaches and players on the hottest seats entering Week 11, rated on a 1-10 scale (10 being the hottest) based on factors like performance, expectation, reasonable upside, the likelihood of getting pulled in-season and any other relevant team-specific factors.

The Panthers benched second-year quarterback Bryce Young two weeks into the 2024 season. However, they turned back to him in Week 9, after Andy Dalton sustained a thumb injury in a car crash.

There’s a chance Carolina has already decided to turn the page on Young and will move off of him in the spring. The Panthers could have dealt the 23-year-old at last week’s trade deadline, but they probably wouldn’t have maximized his value.

“NFL executives around the league believe if Carolina decides to trade him they’ll get a better deal by waiting until offseason,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini wrote on November 2.

If the Panthers do decide they’re moving on, benching Young for the remainder of the season could make sense. His trade value will be severely limited if he suffers a significant injury in an otherwise meaningless game.

And if Carolina does make a quarterback change, it could make a coaching change, too. Dave Canales was hired to help develop the young signal-caller after helping both Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield become Pro Bowl quarterbacks over the last two years.

While Young has underwhelmed, so has every other aspect of Carolina’s 2024 season—well, aside from running back Chuba Hubbard. Given the lack of patience frequently shown by franchise owner David Tepper—who has fired three coaches in-season over the last five years—Canales could be a one-and-done coach.

Still, the chances of seeing Young benched or Canales relieved of his duties at this point feel relatively low. The Panthers owe it to themselves to see if Young still has a future with the franchise. Canales, meanwhile, enters the bye week on a two-game winning streak.

“It’s building,” defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson said, per ESPN’s David Newton. “…Being a young team, we’re really coming together.”

Young and Canales should both get chances to continue building over the final two months of the season. At the very least, Carolina is unlikely to make a significant change at the bye.

Canales’ Hot Seat Level: 2

Young’s Hot Seat Level: 3

Aside from the Jets—who have already fired Robert Saleh and are probably afraid to even consider benching Aaron Rodgers—the Browns have been one of this season’s biggest disappointments.

Cleveland reached the playoffs in 2023 despite starting five different quarterbacks. While the Browns’ roster didn’t change much in the offseason, the team has taken a nosedive in quality and results.

The two-win Browns rank 21st in scoring defense and 31st in total offense. They’re barrelling toward a rebuild and parted with veterans Za’Darius Smith and Amari Cooper before the trade deadline.

Could head coach Kevin Stefanski be next? For another franchise, probably not. He’s a two-time Coach of the Year who has delivered two of Cleveland’s three playoff berths since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999.

Stefanski is in an unusual situation, however. Franchise owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Andrew Berry made the ill-fated decision to trade for Deshaun Watson in 2022.

Watson has been an unmitigated disaster in Cleveland, and he was the team’s biggest 2024 liability before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. However, he’ll be on a fully guaranteed contract for two more seasons, and the Browns aren’t ready to admit they made a mistake.

“I’m really not in reflection mode,” Berry told reporters of the 2022 trade.

Stefanski has shown that he’s a quality head coach when he gets even average quarterback play—which Watson has never provided. However, there’s a non-zero chance that Haslam decides that if he must pay Watson, he’s going to keep trying to make things work with him as the starter. That could involve trying to make it work with a different head coach.

Moving on from Stefanski before the offseason, though, probably isn’t likely. Benching quarterback Jameis Winston could be. The veteran backup-turned-starter provided an offensive spark during Cleveland’s Week 8 upset of the Baltimore Ravens, but he stumbled with a three-interception performance in a Week 9 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Cleveland isn’t making the playoffs in 2024, no matter who is under center. Therefore, it would make sense to turn to second-year signal-caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Thompson-Robinson probably isn’t Cleveland’s future starter, but he still needs to prove whether he can be a long-term backup.

The rest of this season will be about evaluation. If Stefanski sticks by Winston—who was named the Week 11 starter on Monday—it may be in an effort to bolster his job security.

Stefanski’s Hot Seat Level: 4

Winston’s Hot Seat Level: 5

Like Canales, Brian Callahan is a rookie head coach tasked with developing a young quarterback. He’s currently at the helm of the 2-7 Tennessee Titans and trying to evaluate second-year quarterback Will Levis.

It hasn’t gone particularly well.

Levis was terrible in his first five starts of 2024. The 2023 second-round pick didn’t win a game that he finished, and he committed 10 turnovers before giving way to veteran backup Mason Rudolph.

However, Levis wasn’t benched. He left the starting lineup because of a shoulder injury and reentered it for Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. While the Kentucky product didn’t deliver a win, he played more efficiently and with better ball security (no turnovers) than he did before his three-game absence.

Therefore, it’s unlikely that Tennessee will pull the plug on Levis—if he’s healthy—again before the end of the season. The Titans may or may not look to replace him in the 2025 draft, but they’ll want a better idea of Levis’ upside.

“What has been made clear to me: The Titans still need to see what they have in Levis, and the evaluation is not complete,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on Saturday.

It’s also unlikely that the Titans will move off of Callahan after just one season—though it’s certainly not impossible, depending on the list of available candidates. The former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator didn’t inherit a good team—Tennessee was 3-6 at this point last season—and his team has done a few things well.

No defense has allowed fewer yards than Tennessee’s.

Expect Levis to get the rest of the season to prove himself and Callahan to get even longer than that.

Callahan’s Hot Seat Level: 2

Levis’ Hot Seat Level: 3

The Giants may look to make a coaching change during or before the upcoming offseason. Brian Daboll’s job security is essentially built on the surprise playoff campaign that he delivered two years ago.

New York over-achieved under Daboll in 2022, but it has underwhelmed, repeatedly, ever since. With an 8-19 record since the start of the 2023 season—last altered by a frustrating overtime loss to Carolina in Germany—Daboll may have numbered days.

However, the Giants probably won’t make a coaching change during their Week 11 bye. A quarterback change? That could happen.

Daniel Jones continues to be one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL. His lone “good” season in 2022 included 15 passing touchdowns and a 92.5 quarterback rating. The 27-year-old has shown zero growth since then and, if anything, may have regressed.

Jones simply doesn’t make good decisions or see the field well. He tossed a pair of red-zone interceptions against Carolina on Sunday and missed multiple chances to hit open receivers throughout the game.

Daboll didn’t exactly give Jones a ringing endorsement after the latest loss.

“We got a lot of work to do here in the next few days, in the next week, and we’ll evaluate where we’re at and what we need to do,” he said, per The Athletic’s Jenna West.

If New York doesn’t turn to Drew Lock for Week 12, the move could come soon after. The Giants can save $30.5 million next offseason by releasing Jones with a post-June 1 designation. However, $23 million of his 2025 salary is guaranteed for injury.

Getting Jones out of the lineup and ensuring he can pass an offseason physical might be the best financial decision the Giants can make in the coming weeks.

Daboll’s Hot Seat Level: 5

Jones’ Hot Seat Level: 9

Quarterbacks on 7-2 football teams typically don’t find themselves on the hot seat. However, the Minnesota Vikings aren’t a typical 7-2 club.

This season was supposed to be about paving the way for rookie first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. However, a season-ending knee injury ended the rookie’s campaign before it even reached the regular season.

The Vikings then turned to bridge quarterback Sam Darnold, who played exceptionally well during the early season and helped spark a 5-0 start. The problem is that Darnold, a 2018 draft bust of the Jets, has turned into a proverbial pumpkin in recent weeks. He floundered down the stretch in a Week 8 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and committed six turnovers over the past two weeks—albeit in winning efforts.

Darnold has struggled enough that head coach Kevin O’Connell felt the need to address his quarterback’s status after Sunday’s 12-7 win over the Jaguars.

“We’re still 100 percent confident in Sam,” O’Connell said, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “It would be craziness not to be.”

While benching a quarterback at 7-2 would be unusual, Minnesota must capitalize on its opportunity. The Vikings are tied for the second-best record in their conference, and they have a real shot at making a deep postseason run.

If Darnold is actively hurting the team with poor decision-making and ball security, how could O’Connell not at least consider a change?

To put it bluntly, there are no viable alternatives to be had. Any opportunity to improve Minnesota’s quarterback situation passed with the trade deadline—and that’s assuming a viable alternative was even available.

The Vikings’ current alternatives include Nick Mullens and Brett Rypien. The list of feee agents pretty much starts and ends with Ryan Tannehill.

So, while fans may lament Darnold’s mistakes, and members of the media may question his job security, the chances of Minnesota making a QB change are pretty much non-existent.

Hot Seat Level: 1

The Las Vegas Raiders got a spark from then-interim coach Antonio Pierce late in 2023. A 3-1 finish to the season that included wins over all three AFC West opponents was enough for Pierce to earn the job full-time in the offseason.

However, Pierce has not fared well as the full-time head coach. The 2-7 Raiders have struggled with execution, chemistry and basic fundamentals more often than not, which is a reflection of the coaching staff.

Players, reportedly, are not happy with the way things have unfolded and discussed their displeasure during a meeting during the Week 10 bye.

“According to sources present, a few themes emerged. Players had issues with the schedule not being efficient,” CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones wrote. “There was a lack of organization and ‘wasting time,’ and there was a ‘lack of discipline and accountability.'”

The Raiders traded star receiver Davane Adams before the deadline, while Pierce fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, offensive line coach James Cregg and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello before the bye.

Las Vegas’ quarterback situation has been a carousel of Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and newcomer Desmond Ridder.

The Raiders are clearly heading toward a full-on rebuild, and Pierce may not be a part of it. However, franchise owner Mark Davis may not be willing to make an in-season coaching change for the second straight year and the third time in four seasons.

If the Raiders were going to make a head coaching change, they probably would have done it when Getsy and Co. were shown the door. If those changes don’t yield positive results, however, Las Vegas could look to get a jump on the 2025 coaching market by firing Pierce before season’s end.

Hot Seat Level: 6

Look, the Cowboys are headed toward a split with head coach Mike McCarthy. Everyone in Dallas knows it, even if they won’t say it publicly—and some members of the organization are effectively saying it publicly.

“All coaching aside, Mike can leave and go where he wants to,” pass-rusher Micah Parsons said after Sunday’s 24-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. “Guys I kind of feel bad for is guys like Zack Martin and guys who might be on their last year, on their way out. … You want to win games and do great things with those type of legends who put in more time and work than Mike McCarthy ever did.”

The 3-6 Cowboys are falling apart. The defense stinks, players are publicly criticizing their head coach, and quarterback Dak Prescott appears headed for season-ending hamstring surgery. A significant rebuild is incoming, and McCarthy won’t be a part of it.

However, the Cowboys may not fire their head coach because they don’t have to. McCarthy is in the final year of his contract, which Dallas can simply choose not to renew. Franchise owner Jerry Jones probably won’t pull the plug on McCarthy before the offseason.

The only time Jones has fired a coach in-season came in 2010, when he replaced Wade Phillips with Jason Garrett. He’s stated publicly that he won’t repeat that decision in 2024.

“I don’t believe we’ll make a coaching change during the season,” Jones said on Sunday, per ProFootballTalk’s Charean Williams. “I changed coaches in the season with Wade and have always regretted it.”

Realistically, Jones will only deviate from his plan if a coach who isn’t currently employed by another team decides he wants to get an early start on the 2025 season—and, yes, we’re thinking of Bill Belichick, probably as much as Jones is.

Hot Seat Level: 2, until McCarthy’s contract expires, then he’s gone

Will the Jacksonville Jaguars pull the plug on third-year head coach Doug Pederson? It’s possible, because Pederson has failed to develop Trevor Lawrence into the $275 million quarterback Jacksonville paid for this past offseason.

To be fair, Pederson did help Lawrence become a Pro Bowler in 2022, and he led the Jags to the playoffs that same season. While both the quarterback and the team regressed in 2023, they were off to an 8-3 start before injuries hampered Lawrence and the Jaguars collapsed.

This season, though, has been a disaster. The Jaguars have won two games—over the New England Patriots and the Colts—and Lawrence is again sidelined by an injury. This one may be season-ending.

“Surgery is possible for Lawrence, sources say, though the current plan is for rest and rehab. While the team has called him day to day, week to week is probably a more accurate description,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport wrote on November 10.

In some ways, though, Lawrence’s recent injury history may help Pederson. The quarterback’s health would help explain last year’s collapse and this year’s slow start—and the Jags have been competitive in their last three losses, even with Mac Jones under center in Week 10.

Replacing offensive coordinator Press Taylor and first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen might be a viable alternative to firing Pederson in the offseason. Franchise owner Shad Khan won’t simply ignore the fact that Pederson has already delivered consecutive winning seasons.

And Khan still publicly supported Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke as of mid-October.

“I admire what Trent [Baalke]’s done, Doug [Pederson]’s done and I think, how do we support them to have better results, more wins?” Khan said, per Demetrius Harvey of the Florida Times-Union.

Things probably won’t get any better against the Detroit Lions in Week 11, but Pederson will probably be safe through the Week 12 bye—and possibly until Lawrence is again healthy.

Hot Seat Level: 5

How Matt Eberflus ever survived the 2023 season is a bit of a mystery. The Chicago Bears defense did show signs of growth during the season, but Chicago knew it was going to take a rookie quarterback with the first pick in the 2024 draft.

Sticking with a coach who had compiled a 10-24 record in that situation was always a curious decision. With each passing week, it looks more and more like a bad one.

Yes, Chicago is 4-5 and still has a chance to turn the season around. Yes, the Bears are 4-1 at home. However, this season isn’t about making the playoffs. It’s about ensuring that Caleb Williams develops into a true franchise quarterback and not another footnote in Chicago’s extensive quarterback wasteland.

Unfortunately, with Eberflus at the helm, the Bears are making the same mistakes they’ve made with the likes of Justin Fields and Mitch Trubisky. The offense lacks any semblance of a cohesive game plan, and the offensive line is a nightmare. Williams has been sacked 38 times in nine games.

More alarmingly, Williams isn’t playing like the confident, electric, game-changing star he was in college—something that could easily have been said about Fields during his Chicago tenure.

The Bears replaced Luke Getsy with new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron in the offseason before adding players like D’Andre Swift, Keenan Allen and rookie wideout Rome Odunze. Their offense—which ranked 20th overall in 2023 and now ranks 30th—has gotten worse. On Tuesday, Eberflus replaced Waldron with passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Eberflus isn’t simply fumbling the ball with his rookie QB, either. Other Bears players seem disinterested on game days, and there’s an overall lack of energy that somehow exceeds the lack of execution.

Has Eberflus lost the football team?

“I want to say no,” wide receiver D.J. Moore told 670 The Score when asked that question on November 4.

That’s far from an endorsement. Eberflus’ staff members, meanwhile, appear to be just as uncertain of the overall plan as his players.

Since blowing their Week 8 game against the Washington Commanders on a poorly defended Hail Mary, the Bears have lost two games by a combined score of 48-12. At this rate, they may not win another one.

More importantly, Chicago is at serious risk of ruining Williams’ confidence, just as the Panthers appeared to do with Young in 2023. The difference is that Young joined one of the league’s worst supporting casts. The Bears have a tremendous collection of talented playmakers. They just have a head coach who is ill-suited for the role.

For Williams’ sake—and the sake of the Bears organization—Eberflus needs to go.

With Chicago gearing up for a brutal eight-game stretch that includes matchups with the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings (twice each), San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, Eberflus’ job will be in question every single week from here on out.

Hot Seat Level: 10