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The NFL season never goes as planned for every team in the league. While some teams are surprise contenders, others miss expectations by a mile.
That means some NFL head coaches are put on the hot seat no matter how long they have held their job.
The Monday after the conclusion of the NFL regular season usually features at least a few coaches being fired. Some may not even make it to Sunday night with their job.
Here are three NFL head coaches in particular who are in the hottest seats of all.
3 NFL head coaches at risk of being fired
#3 - Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears
It seems like a foregone conclusion at this point that Matt Nagy will be fired. The Chicago Bears are 4-8 and have a primetime showdown with the Green Bay Packers this Sunday.
Reports came out before Thanksgiving that Nagy had already been informed that he would be let go. That proved to be false, and Nagy's Bears nearly lost to the Detroit Lions.
There is just no one else to blame at this point. The Bears took Nagy's side when it came to the regression of Mitchell Trubisky.
But he was given another first-round NFL quarterback in Justin Fields and the rookie is struggling to succeed this year. That alone is a firable offense for Nagy and even for GM Ryan Pace.
#2 - Matt Rhule, Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers recently fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady. But he wasn't the one who plugged in Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, and Cam Newton into this offense.
It was Matt Rhule.
A fair excuse for Rhule is that Christian McCaffrey has struggled to stay healthy during his two-year tenure. But the head coach is supposed to adapt and not just rely on one player, even one as great as McCaffrey.
The Panthers started the season 3-0 and are now 5-7. Rhule also gave up on Newton in the first place, only to bring him back off the street late in the 2021 season.
The veteran does not look the same and another double-digit loss season could mean the Panthers cut ties and realize Rhule was never right for the job.
#1 - Joe Judge, New York Giants
Joe Judge is a fascinating case because his job security is directly tied to GM Dave Gettleman. If Gettleman is fired or decides to retire, a new GM may want to get Judge out of there and pick their own head coach.
Judge led the New York Giants to a 6-10 record in the 2020 NFL season and the expectation was that 2021 would be better. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley could take that next step and morph into a dynamic duo on offense.
But Barkley can't stay healthy and Jones is looking average at best.
Once again, those decisions fall upon the shoulders of Gettleman as he picks the players. But Judge is not doing much to lead his team to victory and having players run laps after losses is not fair if the coaching staff is not doing enough to maximize their potential.
