We are officially halfway through the 2024 NFL regular season, which is unbelievable. It feels just like yesterday when Isaiah Likely failed to get his second foot inbounds vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.
In Week 9, our Jameis Winston for MVP campaign came to an end, the Los Angeles Rams kept rolling with another victory in overtime vs. the rival Seattle Seahawks, and people lost their jobs. The New Orleans Saints fired Dennis Allen after an embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers, and the Las Vegas Raiders parted ways with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and two other offensive assistants.
This week, I would like to discuss the next head coach that could be fired in the middle of the season, and examine the NFC West.
Could another head coach be fired midseason?
First there was Robert Saleh, then Dennis Allen. The Saints lead man was handed his walking papers on Monday morning following a loss to the lowly Panthers as touchdown favorites. This was actually the first time a Bryce Young team led in the fourth quarter with time on the clock in his 20 career starts!
After winning their first two games of the season by at least 25 points, the Saints lost seven straight. That’s never happened before in NFL history. It’s true that injuries played a large part in this collapse, but the fact of the matter is Allen has a 26-53 record as head coach at his two stops, and didn’t exactly inspire optimism in his three seasons with New Orleans.
So, we have seen two head coaches fired midseason. Could we get another one in the coming months? It’s actually not an easy question to answer. Some would point to Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys as a coach who is on the hot seat, but he’s in the final year of his contract. He could be allowed to finish out the season. Then there’s Brian Daboll of the New York Giants. The former NFL Coach of the Year is not winning any popularity contests in New York, but Giants owner John Mara publicly preached patience to fans last month. Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars may be in a similar situation with a seemingly supporting owner, and then there’s Antonio Pierce in Vegas, who is in his first full season as head coach.
If there’s going to be another head coach fired midseason, I think it could be Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears. Chicago had high expectations entering 2024 following a big offseason, which included the drafting of Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. Through nine weeks, the Bears are 4-4, and coming off of two tough losses. They were on the wrong end of a Hail Mary in Week 8, and then were blown out by the Arizona Cardinals this past Sunday, 29-9. The Bears have now lost 19 straight road games played on Sundays, which is the longest streak since the 2015-18 Cleveland Browns. The Cardinals don’t have one of the better defenses in the NFL, but they kept the Bears out of the end zone all game, and kept pressure on Williams.
Here’s why Eberflus could be fired before season’s end: The Bears without a doubt have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. A big reason why is because the Bears somehow have not played a divisional opponent just yet. They reside in the toughest, most talented division in the NFL, and six of their remaining nine games will come against the Detroit Lions, the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers. The other teams on Chicago’s remaining schedule are the San Francisco 49ers, Seahawks and New England Patriots.
SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh has the Bears going a projected 3.9-5.1 down the stretch. As of now, Chicago has a 12.2% chance to make the playoffs. Only four NFC teams have worse odds.
Ranking the NFC West
It’s one of the most fascinating divisions in the NFL. The NFC West is one of two divisions where all four teams have won at least four games, but which squad has the wherewithal to claim the title? Let’s power-rank these four teams as we enter Week 10.
4. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle has gone 1-5 over its last six games after starting the year 3-0. Over those last six contests, this Seahawks defense is surrendering 29.7 points per game, while Geno Smith threw three interceptions this past Sunday — including two within 7 yards of the end zone.
There’s no doubt Seattle has playmakers. Jaxon Smith-Njigba showed out with 180 receiving yards and two touchdowns on Sunday with DK Metcalf out of the lineup. But it’s hard to trust this bottom 10 defense.
3. Arizona Cardinals
It’s the Cardinals that currently sit atop the NFC West with a 5-4 record. They blew out the shorthanded Rams in Week 2, upset the 49ers in Week 5 and have now won three straight. However, Arizona did get blown out by the Washington Commanders and Packers.
What would make me look foolish for ranking the Cardinals No. 3 on this list are two things. One is continued defensive success. Arizona held Chicago to nine points and 241 yards of total offense last week. Both were season lows. The Cardinals also notched a season-high six sacks, and just traded for pass rusher Baron Browning on Monday. The other thing that could take the Cardinals to the next level is Marvin Harrison Jr. being a more consistent part of the offense. The No. 4 overall pick has recorded less than 40 receiving yards in five games, but crossed 110 receiving yards twice.
2. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are 4-4, but they’ve spent the majority of the season shorthanded. L.A. returned Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua a couple weeks ago, and are currently on a three-game winning streak. When Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Kupp and Nacua all play together, the Rams are 8-3. Stafford is still one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the world, and this young defense has been showing out. Jared Verse is the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Byron Young, Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner have been fantastic as well.
This team has all they need to make a run, but staying healthy is paramount.
1. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are 4-4, but they are the reigning NFC champions for a reason. Christian McCaffrey is on his way back from injury, and Kyle Shanahan is used to bouncing back from slow starts. Remember when the 49ers started 3-4 in 2022? They won 10 straight games after that. San Francisco has made three straight NFC Championship games, so I’m expecting a turnaround here in 2024. It starts this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are on a short week.
