Who’s Winning, Who’s Struggling, And Who Could Be Fired

The NFL is entering Week 7 of the season and contenders are separating themselves from pretenders. It’s hard to win in the NFL, and it’s hard for head coaches to stay on the job if they don’t win consistently.

There’s already been one coach fired this season with Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan being relieved of his duties on Monday, and more in-season firings could be looming.

Here’s a look at which coaches are winning, struggling and who could be fired.

Who’s Winning

Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin

The Steelers are 4-1, lead the AFC North and are currently the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Tomlin’s getting the most out of 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the defense is playing an aggressive brand of football that ranks No. 2 in team sacks with 20. Tomlin has made the playoffs 12 times in 18 seasons with the Steelers and seems destined to make it 13 in 2025.

Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen

The Colts may be the biggest surprise of the ’25 season. Indianapolis is 5-1 and currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Steichen is the offensive play caller and has helped quarterback Daniel Jones revitalize his career after the New York Giants discarded him. Jones ranks No. 1 in Total QBR at 79.7. As good as Jones has been, running back Jonathan Taylor has been equally as tremendous, leading the league in rushing yards with 603 and rushing touchdowns with seven.

New England Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel

There was optimism that Vrabel could change the culture in New England after the franchise went 4-13 under former head coach Jerod Mayo. The Patriots have already equaled last year’s win total and have a 4-2 record. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, now in his second season, is proving why he was selected No. 3 overall. Maye ranks No. 2 in completion percentage at 72.3 and No. 5 in passing yards with 1,522.

It’s been a great start for Vrabel in New England with no win being more impressive than a 23-20 road victory against the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles

The Buccaneers are 5-1, currently have the top seed in the NFC and quarterback Baker Mayfield is in the MVP conversation with 12 passing touchdowns and just one interception. However, Tampa’s record may be better than it seems, with four of their wins being by a field goal or less. Nonetheless, Bowles deserves credit for being at the helm and on the right side of these close games.

Who’s Struggling

Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor

The Bengals are 2-4 and have lost four in a row after Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2. Burrow is out until at least early December and the Bengals are now on their third starting quarterback of the season. Jake Browning struggled, which led to the Bengals trading with the Cleveland Browns to acquire Joe Flacco.

Flacco fared well in a 27-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers and could give the team a better chance to win moving forward. However, there’s a stronger chance that this will be the third consecutive season the Bengals don’t make the playoffs.

At some point, regardless of Burrow’s health status and how it impacts the Bengals winning or losing, Taylor needs to get his team on a winning path or he’ll be out the door.

Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll

Carroll’s considered to be one of the all-time greats in college and the NFL, but things aren’t great for him during his first season as Raiders head coach. The Raiders are 2-4 and last in the AFC West. Carroll teamed back up with quarterback Geno Smith, who was the Seattle Seahawks starter during Carroll’s final years there. However, Smith has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league this season. Smith leads the NFL with 10 interceptions and ranks No. 28 in QBR at 37.8.

Carroll may not be on the hot seat just yet, but the frustrations will only mount for a passionate fanbase that haven’t seen the Raiders make the playoffs since the 2021 season.

New York Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn

Glenn, in his first season as Jets head coach, inherited a mess in the aftermath of Robert Saleh being fired midseason in ’24 and quarterback Aaron Rodgers departing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jets are the worst team in the NFL at 0-6 and are the only winless team. Glenn and the Jets will need to pick up victories at some point, or he will be on the hot seat sooner than later.

New Orleans Saints Head Coach Kellen Moore

The Saints are 1-5 and have a quarterback in Spencer Rattler who has a 1-11 record as a starter in the NFL. Moore won a Super Bowl as Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator in ’24, but the talent he has to work with at the Saints pales in comparison to the Eagles and it shows on a weekly basis.

Who Could Be Fired

Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel

McDaniel has been scrutinized as much as any coach this season. The Dolphins are 1-5 this season after finishing 8-9 in 2024. Patience is wearing thin in the locker room, with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa calling out players for being late to players-only meetings.

The Dolphins are a dysfunctional franchise at the moment, and it could be an uphill battle for McDaniel to get the team back on track to finish the season admirably enough to not get fired.

Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon

Gannon has been in the press this season for the wrong reasons. The Cardinals are 2-4 and have lost four in a row. To make matters worse, Gannon scolded running back Emari Demercado on the sideline after Demercado had an unforced fumble that negated a would-be 72-yard touchdown. Gannon yelled at Demercado and swiped his arm, per NFL.com. The Cardinals fined Gannon $100,000 for these actions.

Gannon, now in his third season with the Cardinals, is 14-26 as their head coach and has yet to make the playoffs.

Cleveland Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski

The Browns are 1-5 despite ranking No. 3 in total defense, averaging 262.3 yards allowed per game. The issue has been the Browns offense, and to make matters worse for Stefanski, he’s the play caller. The Browns rank No. 32 in total points per game, averaging just 13.7 points per game. Despite inefficiency on offense, Stefanski says he’ll continue calling plays.

The Browns were 3-14 in 2024 and if the record is similar in ’25, which appears to be the case, the Browns will likely be looking for a new coach in the near future.

Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh

Harbaugh has been the Ravens head coach since 2008 and has led the franchise to 12 playoff appearances and one Super Bowl victory, but this could wind up being Harbaugh’s worst season yet. The Ravens have been without star quarterback Lamar Jackson the last two weeks and don’t expect him back until Week 8 against the Chicago Bears.

Even if Jackson returns and the Ravens get back to their usual winning ways, only four teams have made the playoffs after starting 1-5. Whether it’s Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots, Bill Walsh with the San Francisco 49ers, or Tom Landry with the Dallas Cowboys, great coaches rarely have a great end to their tenure and Harbaugh could wind up suffering the same fate as other legendary NFL coaches.

New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll

The Giants started the season 0-3 with Russell Wilson as starting quarterback. However, New York has played more competitive football since inserting rookie Jaxson Dart as starter with the Giants winning two of their last three games, including a dominating 34-17 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6.

There’s a chance that the Giants do enough the rest of the ‘25 season to where Daboll can show ownership the team is trending in the right direction, but as things currently stand, he’s still on the hot seat.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevorwoods/2025/10/15/nfl-coaches-2025-whos-winning-whos-struggling-and-who-could-be-fired/