NFL Hot Seat: Coaches Needing Deep Playoff Wins -

After the last gift opens on Christmas and before we celebrate the new year, the pressure mounting on coaches will follow them.

While Merriam-Webster defines pressure as ” the stress or urgency of matters demanding attention”, this is the life that NFL coaches choose. Yet, for some of them, the accelerated heat in their seats becomes uncomfortable. Yet, many relish the opportunity to embrace the controlled chaos of late-season football. Not to mention, their teams thrive off the heightened tension. Pressure either bursts pipes or creates diamonds. Meanwhile, the following coaches must win late to turn the temperature down on the hot seat.

John Harbaugh (Ravens)

In what world would an NFL coach with a sixty-one percent winning percentage reside on this list? If you’re John Harbaugh and your team either disappoints in the playoffs or fails to make it, failure merits consequences. During the first seasons of his Baltimore tenure, Harbaugh made five playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl win. In the following ten seasons, the Ravens saw the playoffs just five times. In addition, while playoff appearances matter, how deep you venture into the postseason matters. Two playoff wins in the last decade draw criticism. With Lamar Jackson leading the team, you’d expect Baltimore to enjoy a solid future. However, Jackson’s contract status hovers above the team. Moreover, the inability to surround Jackson with a group of competent receivers looms large.

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Kyle Shanahan (49ers)

Although his career record sits at just three games over .500, roster construction will be the boogeyman for Shanahan. Simply put, no NFL team is constructed as intelligently as the 49ers. No one. Brock Purdy is their third quarterback. Draft picks from every round litter the roster, providing depth. If you look at the defense, John Lynch constructed a unit, capable of withstanding injury and loss while maintaining a high level of play. Unfairly, Kyle Shanahan’s tenure could come down to one missed throw. If Jimmy Garoppolo connects with Emmanual Sanders. Entering the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV, the Niners stood ten points up. Unlike historic teams, that squad could not seal the deal. Now, armed with a defense and talented offense, there is no reason for the San Francisco 49ers to not win the Super Bowl. If they fail to secure the Lombardi with the assembled talent, blame and fault for sitting firmly with Kyle Shanahan.

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Thought Process

Great teams should win in the playoffs. For example, Sean McDermott leads a potent Bills team into the playoffs once again. For the fourth consecutive year, Buffalo enters the playoffs. Now, in order to avoid the NFL also-ran label, some concrete winning needs to occur. What’s the point of stacking forty-five regular season wins but then winning only three of seven playoff games? By the same token, Mike McCarthy enjoys a 22-9 start to his time in Dallas. Conversely, the 0-1 playoff mark needs improvement. Jerry Jones isn’t patient, nor should he be. The above-mentioned NFL head coaches love the adulation but now must face the music should they continue to falter.