We’re officially halfway through the 2024 NFL regular season, which is awesome. It feels like yesterday when Isaiah Likely failed to get his second foot on the field against the Kansas City Chiefs.
In Week 9, our Jameis Winston MVP campaign came to an end, the Los Angeles Rams followed up with another overtime win against 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’d like to talk about the next head coach who could be fired midseason and examine the NFC West.
Could another head coach be fired midseason?
First it was Robert Saleh, then Dennis Allen. The Saints leader received his exit papers 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 in a row. That has never happened before in NFL history. It’s true that injuries played a role in this collapse, but the fact of the matter is that Allen has a 26-53 record as a head coach in his two stops, and he didn’t exactly inspire optimism in his three seasons with New Orleans. .
So, we’ve seen two head coaches fired midseason. Could we get another one in the next few months? Actually, it is 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 is in the final year of his contract. He could be allowed to finish the season. Then there’s Brian Daboll of the New York Giants. The former NFL Coach of the Year isn’t winning any popularity contests in New York, but Giants owner John Mara is. patience publicly preached to fans last month. Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars may be in a similar situation with a seemingly supportive owner, and then there’s Antonio Pierce in Las 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 might be Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears. Chicago had high expectations heading into 2024 after a great offseason, which included drafting Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. Through nine weeks, the Bears are 4-4 and are coming off two tough losses. They were on the wrong end of a Hail Mary in Week 8, and then were eliminated by the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday, 29-9. The Bears have lost 19 consecutive road games played on Sundays, the longest streak since the 2015-18 Cleveland Browns. The Cardinals don’t have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but they kept the Bears out of the end zone the entire game and kept the pressure on Williams.
Here’s why Eberflus could be fired before the end of the season: The Bears undoubtedly have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. A big reason is that the Bears somehow have yet to face a divisional opponent. They reside in the toughest and most talented division in the NFL, and six of their remaining nine games will be against the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and 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 projects the Bears will be 3.9-5.1 down the stretch. As of now, Chicago has a 12.2% chance of making the playoffs. Only four NFC teams have worse odds.
NFC West Standings
It is one of the most fascinating divisions in the NFL. The NFC West is one of two divisions in which all four teams have won at least four games, but which team has the means to claim the title? Let’s rank these four teams as we enter Week 10.
4. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle has gone 1-5 in its last six games after starting the year 3-0. Over those last six games, this Seahawks defense is giving up 29.7 points per game, while Geno Smith threw three interceptions last Sunday, including two within 7 yards of the end zone.
There’s no doubt that Seattle has playmakers. Jaxon Smith-Njigba excelled 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 is the Cardinals who currently sit atop the NFC West with a 5-4 record. They beat the short-handed Rams in Week 2, defeated the 49ers in Week 5, and have now won three in a row. However, Arizona was defeated by the Washington Commanders and Packers.
What would make me look foolish for ranking the Cardinals third 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 had a season-high six sacks and just traded 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 fourth overall pick has recorded fewer than 40 receiving yards in five games, but crossed 110 receiving yards twice.
2. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are 4-4, but have spent most of the season shorthanded. Los Angeles returned Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua a couple of weeks ago and are currently on a three-game winning streak. When Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Kupp and Nacua play together, the Rams are 8-3. Stafford remains one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the world and this young defense has come into its own. Jared Verse is the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Byron Young, Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner have also been fantastic.
This team has everything it needs to move forward, 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 returning from injury and Kyle Shanahan is used to bouncing back from slow starts. Remember when the 49ers started 3-4 in 2022? After that they won 10 games in a row. San Francisco has played three straight NFC Championship games, so I expect a change here in 2024. It starts this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have a short week.
