The 2025 NFL season has seen some truly shocking developments. A bona fide dynasty like the Kansas City Chiefs is at 5-5 after 11 weeks, while Daniel Jones is leading the Indianapolis Colts to the best record in the AFC.
As the playoff shape starts to take place, and other teams turn their attention to the 2026 NFL Draft, some teams have served as major disappointments. Brian Callahan and Brian Daboll of the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants, respectively, were the first two head coaches to lose their jobs. But they might not be the only ones facing the axe.
NFL Coaches on the Hot Seat After Week 11
Honorable Mention: Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals
It is hard to pin the blame for the Cincinnati Bengals entirely on Zac Taylor. The major reason for their failure this season, which has resulted in a 3-7 record so far, has been the defense.
Ranked dead last on PFSN’s Defense Impact by a wide margin, they have given up 27 or more points in every game this season, barring the season opener against the Cleveland Browns.
With the team allocating most of its cap space to the offense, finding the right pieces on defense at a discount was going to be nearly impossible. As a result, even though the offense has held its own without Joe Burrow in the lineup, the defense has caused the team’s downfall.
However, Taylor doesn’t walk away blameless from the entire ordeal. After missing the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, the hope had to be that they would improve this season. However, that hasn’t come to pass, and it seems unlikely that the team can remain in the playoff race by the time Burrow returns.
Raheem Morris, Atlanta Falcons
The switch to Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback should have led to a more competitive season for the Atlanta Falcons as a whole. While the defense, which had been their Achilles heel the last few years, took a radical step forward, the offense was underwhelming, to say the least.
Most notably, the usage of Bijan Robinson after a blockbuster start to the season left a lot to be desired. Despite the overwhelming talent on the roster, it resulted in an 18th-ranked place on PFSN’s Offense Impact.
As a result, the team has a 3-7 record with the playoffs firmly out of reach for them. Now, things could have taken a dramatically bad turn for them with a potentially season-ending injury to Penix.
With the season virtually lost, they might not get valuable reps with their potential long-term solution under center. With the tenure under Raheem Morris not going the way most anticipated, especially with other candidates they monitored, like Mike Macdonald and Ben Johnson finding success elsewhere, change could be around the corner.
Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals
It is a blessing in disguise for Jonathan Gannon that the Arizona Cardinals aren’t a bigger focus for the national media. Otherwise, their 3-7 record would be a much bigger problem given the talent on the roster.
The blame isn’t all on Gannon, especially with Kyler Murray being put on the injured reserve list midway through the air. But the team wasn’t really going anywhere even before the Murray injury, and Jacoby Brissett, for all his faults, has given them solid production at the quarterback spot.
Ranked 15th on PFSN’s QB Impact, he is a shade ahead of Murray, who ranks 18th on the season so far. But the game management and late-game execution have been a disaster all year long for Arizona.
As a result, their first seven games were decided by one score, and they came away with a 2-5 record in those encounters. From there, recovering to a playoff berth was nearly impossible, marking another year where the Cardinals fell short of expectations.
Since taking over as the team’s head coach, Gannon’s record in the previous two seasons has been 4-13 and 8-9. This year, he might fall somewhere in the middle. However, with some troubling instances, such as the punch to running back Emari Demercado, it could be the canary in the coal mine that ultimately decides his fate.