2023-11-10 14:04:37
Wait, are you actually going to read this and not just jump ahead to the rankings?
OK, well, in that case, you should know that these mid-season rankings are for this year only. Unlike my preseason rankings, which all of you agreed with wholeheartedly, these rankings are solely focused on what each coach has done so far this season. That makes it much easier given the huge difference in sample sizes for the preseason rankings, which encompassed each coach’s entire body of work no matter how large (Belichick) or small (Daboll) at that point.
I don’t know what Pederson found in London, but the Jacksonville Jaguars have been extremely impressive since that trip, winning five straight. They have a big challenge vs. the 49ers on Sunday.
The Detroit Lions‘ progression under Campbell has been fun to watch, and it feels like they’ve taken even a bigger step than some expected this year.
3. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 5-3, even though they have been outgained in every game. Tomlin must be doing something right.
4. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
It hasn’t been as dominant on a week-to-week basis as it was a year ago, but Sirianni’s talented team still has the best record in the NFL (8-1) despite having two new coordinators.
5. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs offense feels a little off, yet Reid still has them winning enough to have the best record in the AFC along with Baltimore (7-2).
6. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens haven’t been outplayed all season and could easily be 9-0, as Harbaugh’s group looks as good as any in football.
7. Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns
Going 5-3 with QB Deshaun Watson only starting a few games seems pretty good. Credit Stefanski for keeping this group together during that time.
8. Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings
They had a bad start, but the Minnesota Vikings have won four in a row, including a game in which their new quarterback was learning on the fly vs. Atlanta on Sunday.
9. Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins
His offense is explosive, and the Miami Dolphins‘ schemes are creative, but he has to show he can beat another good team to be higher in these rankings.
10. DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
Much of the credit for Houston Texans‘ surprising start should go to rookie QB C.J. Stroud, but Ryans isn’t screwing it up and has that group believing.
11. Robert Saleh, New York Jets
Saleh is a tough evaluation, especially after the New York Jets laid an egg vs. the Chargers on Monday night, but his team is in the mix and has some gritty wins despite having a bottom-five quarterback.
12. Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
I’m not sure many people thought the Indianapolis Colts would have four wins at this point, especially with a backup quarterback under center for the majority of the games.
13. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
Carroll did a masterful coaching job in 2022 and is off to another solid start this year, Sunday’s debacle in Baltimore notwithstanding.
14. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
For whatever reason, Taylor never gets talked about as one of the league’s better coaches. Still, he navigated the Joe Burrow calf injury to get the Cincinnati Bengals to the other side in playoff position.
15. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
His skill as a play designer and play caller is well documented, but the San Francisco 49ers have too much talent to lose three games in a row.
16. Mike McCarthy, Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have a good team, but being the only team to lose to the Cardinals, getting embarrassed by the 49ers, and not finishing an Eagles game they should’ve won prevents McCarthy from being higher.
17. Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders
Rivera is a solid coach who has a middling Washington Commanders roster in the mix, as usual. Winning in New England after trading both starting defensive ends is a nice feather in his cap.
18. Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills have taken a step back this year, and McDermott needs to figure out why, and quick, otherwise you have to think some changes may be in order in Buffalo.
19. Dennis Allen, New Orleans Saints
It hasn’t always been pretty, especially on offense, but the New Orleans Saints have won two in a row and are in pole position in the NFC South in a critical year for Allen’s coaching future.
20. Arthur Smith, Atlanta Falcons
Smith did a nice job getting seven wins the past two seasons with subpar rosters, but this year’s group is much better, so he needs to take a step forward this season.
21. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams got off to a fast start and looked like a contender even with a revamped roster, but three straight losses have put a damper on the early season McVay praise.
22. Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans
Vrabel made the right decision to turn the page to Will Levis moving forward because the rookie quarterback has impressed in his first two starts for the Tennessee Titans.
23. Brandon Staley, Los Angeles Chargers
Staley found a way to get two wins in a row; otherwise, he would’ve been much lower in these rankings.
24. Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals
Look at the Arizona Cardinals roster and consider how many of those guys would start for your team. The answer is not many, so Gannon’s competitive bunch bodes well for him.
25. Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He’s not a bad coach, but there’s still no evidence that he is a good one either because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost four straight after a surprisingly promising start.
26. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
Payton got off to a horrible start, but two wins in a row heading into the Denver Broncos‘ Monday night game in Buffalo gives him some momentum going into the second half of the season.
27. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers
It doesn’t seem like LaFleur is as good of a coach without a first-ballot Hall of Famer at quarterback. The rest of the season is about finding out if the Green Bay Packers even have next year’s starter on the roster.
28. Brian Daboll, New York Giants
If Daboll got the lion’s share of the credit for the New York Giants‘ success a year ago, he deserves a lot of the blame for a team that has played worse than expected this year, even with its injury issues.
29. Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears
It kind of feels like the honeymoon is over for Eberflus after Chicago Bears fans got caught up in the Justin Fields big plays and losing for the No. 1 pick bandwagon a year ago.
30. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
Belichick himself would be the first person to tell you that you are what your record says you are, and the record says the New England Patriots are the worst team in the AFC.
31. Frank Reich, Carolina Panthers
I thought the Carolina Panthers would be better than this. Yes, they have a rookie quarterback and some issues on the offensive line, but so do a lot of teams.
32. Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders
If you get fired before the midseason rankings and your team plays by far their best game of the season right after that, you should probably be last in the rankings.
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