One month into the 2022 campaign, few NFL teams have truly surged out of the gate and distanced themselves from the rest of the field. There are some, on the other hand, which have invited speculation about potential coaching changes.
Calls for a firing have most loudly been made so far in Carolina. Matt Rhule entered this year, his third with the Panthers, with expectations to steer the franchise back into playoff contention. His ability to do so at both Temple and Baylor earned him a sizeable first NFL head coaching deal, but results have been lacking so far. 
[RELATED: Communication Issues Between Rhule, OC McAdoo?]
The acquisition of quarterback Baker Mayfield and a return to health from star running back Christian McCaffrey led to optimism that improvement on the offensive side of the ball in particular would be coming. Instead, the Panthers rank last in the league in yards, and 17th in points scored so far. A severe lack of wins when allowing more than 17 points has stretched into 2022; the fact that the 47-year-old continues to back Mayfield as the team’s No. 1 signal-caller will tie the pair together, though, regardless of their shared success or failure. Despite the significant term remaining on his first NFL deal, Rhule could make way for a more experienced option if an offensive resurgence doesn’t take shape.
The same may end up being true of Frank Reich in Indianapolis. The team’s annual replacement of their starting QB resulted in the arrival of Matt Ryan and the expectation of far more stability at the position compared to Carson Wentz. The former MVP has struggled mightily with respect to ball security, however, leading the league in both interceptions (seven) and fumbles (11). His 21 sacks taken have further hampered an offense averaging a league-worst 13.8 points per game.
Winless through the first half of their divisional contests, the Colts currently sit third in what is still considered an underwhelming AFC South. Plenty of time for a turnaround exists, of course, but there is added urgency around the team after 2021’s late-season collapse which cost them a playoff berth. Reich is tied to general manager Chris Ballard, as the pair were extended through 2026 just last year, potentially giving them a longer leash in the Ryan era, which they hope will last far longer than that of his predecessors. Early returns on the team’s investment in that trio have certainly been underwhelming, though.
In Arizona, Kliff Kingsbury entered 2022 with the expectation that the Cardinals’ inconsistencies would be corrected. After a hot start ended with a disappointing end to the campaign in 2021, Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim each received extensions and are now on the books through 2027. That move was eventually followed up by a massive second contract for QB Kyler Murray this summer, leaving the potential for he and Kingsbury to remain together for the foreseeable future.
However, Arizona has started 2-2 this season, ranking in the middle of the pack offensively. The absence of wideout DeAndre Hopkins, dating back to late last year, has hamstrung the team on that side of the ball to such a degree that Kingsbury’s scheme has increasingly come under fire. In spite of year-to-year improvement in the win-loss column over the course of his tenure on the sidelines, then, the 43-year-old is considered to be facing something of a make-or-break proposition in 2022. The return of Hopkins from suspension will no doubt give the offense a boost, but whether that translates to increased success – especially early in games – will be worth monitoring closely.
Another team facing unexpected struggles with the ball is the Broncos, led by rookie HC Nathaniel Hackett. The addition of QB Russell Wilson has not yielded anywhere near the production which was expected upon his arrival (and subsequent extension) heading into the season, with blame being shared between the two. Denver’s calamitous efforts in the red zone in particular have led to poor primetime showings and a 2-3 record.
Hackett has already responded by bringing veteran advisor Jerry Rosburg out of retirement, though Thursday night’s loss to the Colts did little to quell doubts about the team’s 2022 prospects. The growing list of injuries Denver is dealing with on both sides of the ball would have hampered their playoff chances regardless of if Hackett had taken the Broncos gig or any of the other four he interviewed for this winter. Still, the fact that he has risen up the list of contenders to be replaced so early in his tenure speaks to how problematic it has been so far.
Will one of these four coaches be the first to receive their walking papers, or will that fate befall a different bench boss? Cast your vote in PFR’s latest poll and have your say in the comments below:
Bring Andrew luck back
He doesn’t want to come back. He’s never coming back. Time to accept it.
interesting that all these coaches are being blamed for terrible QBs.
except for Kingsbury who isn’t qualified to manage a deli
To kingbury’s benefit he is dealing with a malcontent for a QB
Hackett should be fired but either way the broncos are doomed with Wilson so it doesn’t matter
Bill Belichick he’s to busy making sure his hillbilly kids and he’s pathetic friends have jobs their not qualified for it’s so bad Mac is going to take his time to come back and I don’t blame him this is all on Bill and Robert
The guy wins 6 Super Bowls. Still – people want HIM fired. Unbelievable.
He didn’t win his team with Brady won 6 he’s done jackshit without Brady he sucked w/ the Browns and he sucks now you can’t live in the past it’s time for the future
If you could translate this into English for the rest of us case, that’d be great.
Losing season in 2020, losing home record in 2021, losing season so far in 2022. All by the head coach whom the genetic brown-noser Mike Lupica called the greatest NFL coach ever.
The problem with Belichick is not his coaching but his GM skills. Moving defensive guys to coach offense is also an issue. His arrogance is getting in the way
The bandwagon trash can go elsewhere now
If you are wondering why Matt Rhule looks clueless in every photo you see of him, it’s because he is.
The problem in Denver is that Hackett seemingly has no control over Wilson’s risk forward escapades on offense. Glaring to me is his nonsensical decision to not play Wilson or any of his veterans in the preseason, knowing that all of them are learning a new offense with new teammates. Denver seems to be completely confused on offense and in play management, letting the play clock run and constantly taking delays of game. That’s absolutely the worst thing a coach can fail to do-to establish any kind of cohesion on the team. It looks like Wilson is just winging it on every down.
It is up to the coach-an offensive coach, no less-to reign his quarterback in and also help establish confidence and discipline in the gameplan so that the quarterback can trust it enough to not try and play heroball every down. I know that Hackett was hired to coach Rodgers, not Wilson, but he is so far out of his depth right now that I’m not sure that he and Denver will be able to climb out together.
New owners are always anxious to shake things up and put their stamp on the franchise so that is another thing working against him.
Coaching changes are often a reflection of what GM is feeling the heat and needs to throw someone under the bus to stay employed. I feel pretty certain that Ballard and Keim are secure and won’t have to use their HCs as fall guys. DeCosta is taking plenty of heat for his inability to get Lamar extended but it’s hard to imagine be could convincingly make Harbaugh the scape goat for that.
I say Hackett should be fired first but he will remain as HC until the end of the season as long as he doesn’t pull Urban Meyer. If the Panthers go on 5+ game losing streak, then Rhule definitely will get fired before the season is over. Reich and Kingsbury have enough credentials to keep their jobs for at least this year, imo. But if Colts and Cards continue to struggle in 2023, then they are fair game to get fired……
Can we add Brandon Staley to the list? He deserves to be fired for that dumb decision to go for it on 4th down on their side of the field. He’s lucky Cleveland’s kicker sucks because he almost handed them that game on a platter.
Didn’t he make a boneheaded call that blew them a game last year? I can’t remember what it was off the top of my head, but I remember something along those lines.
I’m a Browns fan and I group Staley and Stefanski together. Neither of them should be in danger of being fired (at least not now), but they both seem to portray themselves as the smartest person in the room with every decision they make. I like that they’re both aggressive and it’s different from how the league has mostly been in the past, but sometimes there’s a difference between aggression and stupidity.
You are both correct. Staley’s infamous call last year was against the Raiders and allowed them to “win and in” their way into the playoffs. Luckily for him, his team is so talented that it will certainly buoy his results, but he’s been much, much than expected in my personal observation.
In all honesty, I thought that they were premature in firing Anthony Lynn to start their “new era” in Los Angeles. Fast forwarding to today, the defense that this hire was supposed to fix plays second fiddle to the offense, on a team with much more talent and more headscratching decisions by a supposedly acclaimed defensive coach. I think, for those results, they’d have gotten further or just as far with Lynn, personally.
Down 30-12
7 Minutes left in the game
4th & 3 on the 25
Sure, kick the FG: keep hope alive!
Down 30-15
<3 Minutes left in the game
4th & 10 on your own 10
… and you go for it?
Of course Baker gets sacked back to the 3
Rhule is a joke
So you actually think a team down 15 with less than 3 minutes remaining is going to punt their way to a victory? This isn’t Madden football.
you’re ignoring why I put this in chronological order:
choosing an inconsequential FG when down 18 on 4th & 3 but going for it on your own 10 down 15 on 4th & 10
I thought that they should have gone for the touchdown in that case, though I am usually a fan of taking the points. The Panthers needed momentum as much as they needed points there.