Ben DiGiacomo

AFC Playoff Picture Breakdown Ahead of Week 18 Slate

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Not many positives can be taken away from this <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/depth-chart/chicago-bears-depth-chart">Chicago Bears</a> season, with former head coach Matt Eberflus possibly being the biggest negative. Thomas Brown is holding down the fort in the interim, but reports are that this will be a highly sought-after position by prospective head coaches, given the presence of <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/players/caleb-williams/69046">Caleb Williams</a>. We shall see where the Bears go this offseason, but it’s safe to say that they cannot afford to get this hiring wrong.
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Chicago Bears: Thomas Brown

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As great as <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/players/joe-burrow/16237">Joe Burrow</a> has been this season, it’s inexcusable that the <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/depth-chart/cincinnati-bengals-depth-chart">Cincinnati Bengals</a> likely won’t be in the postseason this year. Whether it’s a combination of a below-average defense or coaching mistakes, a change needs to be made at the top, and that starts and ends with Zac Taylor. The cheap nature of the Bengals’ organization may make them unwilling to fire Taylor, but Burrow deserves some internal change around him. Imagine the talented coaches that would be lining up to coach him.

Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor

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Reports indicate that the <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/depth-chart/dallas-cowboys-depth-chart">Dallas Cowboys</a> are expected to keep Mike McCarthy for next season, and it should be a hard pill to swallow for Cowboys fans. Sure, he hasn’t been the sole reason for the Cowboys’ struggles this season, but at the end of the day, it’s been made clear more times than not that this current roster will never win with McCarthy as the leader. What more evidence does Jerry Jones need? Jones should offer a blank check to someone like Ben Johnson to allow him to overhaul the team as he sees fit. Still, it’s fair to say that Jones will never want someone to come in and challenge his power.

Dallas Cowboys: Mike McCarthy

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It’s an accomplishment that Doug Pederson wasn’t fired midseason because this year has been nothing short of a disaster for the <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/depth-chart/jacksonville-jaguars-depth-chart">Jacksonville Jaguars</a>. Owner Shahid Khan has been willing to take big swings with his past head coach hirings, as evident by their previous clear interest in Bill Belichick, so it will be exciting to see who the Jags ultimately land.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Doug Pederson

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Antonio Pierce rode out a nice story last season as the interim to becoming the full-time head coach of the<a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/depth-chart/las-vegas-raiders-depth-chart"> Las Vegas Raiders</a>, but the writing is already on the wall that it won’t work out long-term in Vegas. Rumors are already swirling about potential replacements for Pierce and the extent of the input that Tom Brady will have, with Mike Vrabel already being linked as the front-runner for the job.

Las Vegas Raiders: Antonio Pierce

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After Jerod Mayo was “anointed” as the next head coach of the <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/depth-chart/new-england-patriots-depth-chart">New England Patriots</a> after the long tenure of Bill Belichick, there was plenty of optimism about what he could accomplish with the organization, but that sentiment has already faded. Despite the team having low expectations in the first place, it’s often uglier than expected, with Patriots fans now vocally chanting “Fire Mayo” at home games. It’s unclear whether or not Robert Kraft will be willing to part ways with Mayo so soon, but getting in a fresh-offensive mind to oversee the development of <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/players/drake-maye/60316">Drake Maye</a> wouldn’t be the worst thing to do.

New England Patriots: Jerod Mayo

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Interim head coach Darren Rizzi was given a hopeless opportunity with the <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/depth-chart/new-orleans-saints-depth-chart">New Orleans Saints</a> after Dennis Allen was fired early in the year. The Saints lack talent and direction, likely setting up for a full-blown rebuild off-season. Lions’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has been linked to the job, as the former Saints’ assistant is viewed as a highly talented culture setter.

New Orleans Saints: Darren Rizzi

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The <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/depth-chart/new-york-giants-depth-chart">New York Giants</a> have turned into a laughing stock, and it may be no fault of Brian Daboll. Whether it was the offseason debacle with <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/players/saquon-barkley/1030">Saquon Barkley</a>, the play of <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/players/daniel-jones/16032">Daniel Jones</a>, or now winning a meaningless Week 17 game, costing the Giants the chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, everything that could go wrong for the Giants has gone wrong. Daboll has done what he can with this team, but this team may just be unsalvagable. He’ll likely land another job this offseason if he ultimately is fired, which is a path he should prefer for himself.

New York Giants: Brian Daboll

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Given his current interim tag, Jeff Ulbrich won’t be back next year, as rumors are already swirling about where the <a href="https://www.sportsgrid.com/nfl/depth-chart/new-york-jets-depth-chart">New York Jets</a> will turn to next. Who knows what the makeup of the Jets’ roster will be next year, but a veteran head coach will likely be brought in to stabilize the organization. Ron Rivera and Rex Ryan are two names who have been linked to the job.
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New York Jets: Jeff Ulbrich

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The NFL offseason will begin in a few short days, so here are the nine NFL head coaches who should be preparing to coach their final game in Week 18 this week.

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