It’s getting to be that time of year again in the NFL.
No, not the annual positioning for a crucial playoff spot.
This is when we begin to analyze which head coaches will or won’t survive to see the end of the season.
A year that began with optimism and a fresh start for everyone has cratered for a number of teams.
Despite putting on a brave face, the seat is getting hotter for at least a half dozen coaches.
Here is a look at three that may not be employed by Week 18.
3. Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
As he prepared to begin his first year as an NFL head coach, Campbell revealed what gets him going in the morning.
Apparently, he downs two venti sized coffees from Starbucks with two extra shots of espresso in each cup.
By now, Campbell must be suffering from the side effects of too much Joe.
Specifically, the Lions winless season might be causing irritability, anxiety, and insomnia.
Dan Campbell accepting the Lions head coaching job vs. Dan Campbell by Week 12 pic.twitter.com/ez9dh3oxAf
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) December 1, 2021
Even with the addition of former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff, Detroit has been terrible.
If anything, Goff’s play this year reveals why Sean McVay traded him to the Lions.
Right now, Detroit has a decent running back in D’Andre Swift and some adequate pieces on both lines.
That’s about it.
We probably realized the Lions would be bad this season, but this bad?
After 11 games, the offense is ranked 30th in the NFL and the defense is ranked 27th.
A team already in rebuild mode must continue to rebuild into next season.
It’s hard to believe that things will get better any time soon.
Does Lions management completely lose faith and pull the plug on Campbell before the end of his first year?
It’s possible.
2. Joe Judge, New York Giants
By now we should know better.
Just because a coach does well and wins championships does not mean his assistants can do the same thing.
For the past decade or more, former Bill Belichick assistants have been named head coaches for a number of franchises.
The results have not been pretty.
However, NFL franchises continue to go back to the well even though recent history has proved this to be a fallacy.
Joe Judge worked for Belichick from 2012-2019 as a special teams assistant and coordinator.
It just so happened that New England won three Super Bowls during this period.
Therefore, that means Judge should be a Super Bowl-level coach.
That seems to be the logic behind the Giants hiring Judge before the 2020 season.
The results?
New York went 6-10 in 2020.
After 11 games so far in 2021, the G-Men are 4-7.
The team recently fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who was the former coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
In his stead walks Freddie Kitchens.
Joe Judge expects Giants offense to have "a little bit of evolution" moving forward under Freddie Kitchenshttps://t.co/LhsamBs3f8 pic.twitter.com/H3j3XxumFv
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) November 30, 2021
Kitchens is the former one-year head coach with the Cleveland Browns.
Essentially, this team is led by an unproven head coach and mediocre leadership.
Currently, the Giants are ranked 26th overall in offense and 16th in defense.
It will be a miracle if Judge makes it to the end of the season.
1. Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears
Nagy came to Chicago in 2018 after a decade as an assistant.
He rose through the pro ranks quickly.
In 2008, Nagy was a coaching intern with the Philadelphia Eagles.
By 2016, he was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City.
During his two seasons as the Chiefs OC, the team won the AFC West both years.
In Nagy’s first season as the Chicago Bears head coach, the team finished 12-4 and lost to Philly in the Wild Card round.
Two 8-8 seasons followed and Chicago is 4-7 after 11 games (with a 29th ranked offense).
Nagy has been criticized for his handling of Andy Dalton and Justin Fields this season.
Matt Nagy trying to hang onto his job pic.twitter.com/v4fKkrz6Hy
— Barstool Chicago (@barstoolchicago) November 25, 2021
Every time he opens his mouth, he is skewered by fans and the media.
Although he appears well-liked in the locker room, it is doubtful Nagy sees Week 18.
NEXT: 3 NFL Upsets Looming In Week 13