Week 5 is in the books and there was some serious shake-up in the head coach power rankings. Let’s look around the league and see where they all stack up.
32. Denver Broncos Sean Payton (Last Week #26)
This was legitimately the only game of the season that Sean Payton needed to win and he absolutely botched it, letting Nathanial Hackett come in and coach Zach Wilson to 31-21 victory on their home field.
31. Carolina Panthers Frank Reich (Last Week #30)
Frank Reich’s Panthers are starting to look like they are in serious contention for the first overall pick in the draft—too bad they already dealt it to the Bears!
It is hard to put too much blame on Reich because this team is completely devoid of talent in many critical positions, but when you are 0-5 you are going to be towards the bottom of the ladder.
30. New York Giants Brian Daboll (Last Week #28)
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Last year’s darling, Brian Daboll, has come back down to earth this year. As have his Giants, who got walked all over by the Dolphins.
Saquon Barkley may be hurt, but Daboll needs to find a way to make this offense competent again.
29. New England Patriots Bill Belichick (Last Week #27)
34-0 and two horrible showings from his Patriots… Things are starting to look dire for Bill Belichick. The relationship with Mac Jones now seems completely fractured and it seems like it is high time for the Pats to hit the reset button.
28. Washington Commanders Ron Rivera (Last Week #24)
Tough look for Ron Rivera this week, as he allowed Matt Eberflus’ Bears to wander into their home stadium and snap their losing streak with emphasis, in a 40-20 thumping.
27. Las Vegas Raiders Josh McDaniels (Last Week #31)
Monday Night was a big win for Josh McDaniels, but this one was more about the Packers inadequacies offensively than anything he cooked up for the Raiders offense.
26. Chicago Bears Matt Eberflus (Last Week #32)
And with that win over the Commanders, the Bears’ epic losing streak has finally been snapped. Chicago is looking much improved, but it will take a couple more W’s for Eberflus to make any sizable moves in the rankings.
25. Green Bay Packers Matt LaFleur (Last Week #22)
Tough showing for Matt LaFleur and the Packers on Monday Night Football. He needs to find more creative ways to get that offense going because what he’s doing with Jordan Love right now is not working.
24. BYE Los Angeles Chargers Brandon Staley (Last Week #23)
Brandon Staley managed not to make any horrible decisions during crunch time this week, but only because his team was on bye. Let’s see if he can try and ride that momentum against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football this week.
23. Minnesota Vikings Kevin O'Connell (Last Week #20)
Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings season is starting to look like it is going to be over early this year. They fell to 1-4 dropping what was essentially a must-win at home against the Chiefs.
22. Dallas Cowboys Mike McCarthy (Last Week #15)
Yes, he ran into the 49ers, which is no small task, but Mike McCarthy got his lunch money taken this week, hence the seven-slot drop.
If he is supposed to be taken seriously as a top coach in the league, he has to be able to get his team to at least put up a fight against better competition.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Tomlin (Last Week #25)
Mike Tomlin’s Steelers are a tough one to figure out. Every time you are ready to count them out, he manages to pull a rabbit out of his hat—in this case, a crazy fourth-quarter comeback against a vastly superior Ravens team.
20. Cincinnati Bengals Zac Taylor (Last Week #29)
Big leap forward for Zac Taylor after getting his team off the mat for a thorough beatdown of the Arizona Cardinals.
19. BYE Cleveland Browns Kevin Stefanski (Last Week #18)
Kevin Stefanski is going to have his work cut out for him coming off the bye, especially if Deshaun Watson is going to miss another week, as they welcome the juggernaut 49ers into town.
18. Tennessee Titans Mike Vrabel (Last Week #12)
Coach Vrabel dropped six slots in the rankings this week after a soft showing against the AFC South rival, Colts. He needs to find a way to get more production out of their offense soon or this season will be a wrap for the Titans.
17. New York Jets Robert Saleh (Last Week #19)
The Jets have a lot of talent across the board, yes, but Saleh deserves credit for keeping this team on track in the wake of the Aaron Rodgers injury, not to mention the boost he and his staff have gotten out of Zach Wilson the last couple of weeks.
16. Houston Texans DeMeco Ryans (Last Week #16)
DeMeco Ryans seems to be building a culture in Houston. The Texans fought hard all game on Sunday, coming up just short on the road against a solid Falcons team.
The one knock against him in this one that must be mentioned though is allowing Desmond Ridder to throw for over 300 yards.
15. Arizona Cardinals Jonathan Gannon (Last Week #14)
Jonathan Gannon has the Cardinals playing scrappy, competent football. Unfortunately, they ran into a Bengals team with a seemingly healthy Joe Burrow that needed a win to save its season. That said, the way he and his staff have set up Joshua Dobbs for success has been very impressive.
14. New Orleans Saints Dennis Allen (Last Week #21)
Big week for Dennis Allen and the Saints, as his team absolutely embarrassed the New England Patriots. This isn’t your daddy’s Patriots team, but when you hand Bill Belichick a 34-0 loss, you have to get props regardless.
13. Indianapolis Colts Shane Steichen (Last Week #17)
No one is mistaking the Indianapolis Colts as Super Bowl contenders, but Shane Steichen has to be in the running for Coach of the Year. This team came into the season with zero expectations and they’ve played to a 3-2 record, despite having to toggle between two quarterbacks thanks to a series of injuries to rookie starter, Anthony Richardson.
12. Baltimore Ravens John Harbaugh (Last Week #7)
Not a good showing from John Harbaugh and Baltimore this week, as they inexplicably blew a game late against their division rival, Pittsburgh Steelers, whose anemic offense put up 14 unanswered in the fourth to win.
11. Jacksonville Jaguars Doug Pederson (Last Week #11)
Doug Pederson has been doing a good job of pushing along Trevor Lawrence’s development and reintegrating Calvin Ridley into the fold. Big win across the pond, stealing one from a sleepy Bills team.
10. Atlanta Falcons Arthur Smith (Last Week #13)
They aren’t the most exciting team to watch, but Arthur Smith has the Falcons playing good, competent football. Big win for them at home against the Texans this week.
9. Los Angeles Rams Sean McVay (Last Week #8)
It was a weird showing from McVay and the Rams this week. Cooper Kupp looked great in his return and his performance didn’t come at the expense of Puka Nacua. They struggled to get much else going against the Eagles D though, which McVay will need to be able to do if he wants his team to navigate the buzzsaw that is the NFC playoff picture.
8. BYE Tampa Bay Buccaneers Todd Bowles (Last Week #10)
Considering their expectations heading into the season, Todd Bowles has to sneaky be an early coach of the year favorite. He has Baker Mayfield playing good ball and that defense is extremely solid.
7. BYE Seattle Seahawks Pete Carroll (Last Week #9)
Pete Carroll was another beneficiary of some meager performances ahead of him on the rankings and slid up two spots while on the bye. His Seahawks have been playing great this year and will have a big match-up in Week 6 against what looks to be a revitalized Bengals team.
6. Buffalo Bills Sean McDermott (Last Week #3)
Honestly, Sean McDermott probably should drop more after the Bills’ bizarre decision to fly out to England just 48 hours before their international matchup with the Jags. Buffalo was penalized an insane amount and the team looked half-asleep out there.
5. Miami Dolphins Mike McDaniel (Last Week #5)
Mike McDaniel has been doing a great job with the Dolphins this year. It is one thing to acquire a ton of speed on offense, but McDaniel has a plan for these guys and has them executing in a way that has Al Davis smiling from beyond.
4. Philadelphia Eagles Nick Sirianni (Last Week #4)
Another steady performance from Nick Sirianni’s Eagles. He has created an identity for this team and it continues to thrive under his leadership.
3. Detroit Lions Dan Campbell (Last Week #6)
Dan Campbell is doing an unbelievable job in the Motor City. The Lions look like one of the top teams in the NFC and he has Jared Goff playing like it is 2019.
2. Kansas City Chiefs Andy Reid (Last Week #2)
It would be nice to see Andy Reid get his team to really put away the opposing team, instead of letting them linger around the way they have. That said, it is still another Chiefs win and Reid has been wise to increase Isiah Pacheco’s usage.
1. San Francisco 49ers Kyle Shanahan (Last Week #1)
We are running out of superlatives for Kyle Shanahan and what he’s done with this 49ers team. They absolutely embarrassed the Cowboys this week and continue to further gap between them and the rest of the field.
