We keep talking about how New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan desperately needs to get his team to win some games if he's going to save his job, but before we could even harp on it again in advance of Week 7, the Jets went ahead and lost to the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. In other words, we don't have to speculate on what's going to happen if the Jets lose in Week 7. They already did.
Ryan's Jets are now 1-6 and though they managed to keep things very close against the Patriots, their rivals, a close loss is probably more annoying to the people higher up than a big one at this point. On Friday, Ryan was asked about the Jets' season thus far, and he was very blunt, calling it a "big failure." There doesn't seem to be any end in sight, though the team did manage to trade for Percy Harvin after falling to the Patriots.
Harvin hasn't done much with the Seattle Seahawks, has an extensive injury history and, of course, comes with a hefty price tag. The move sort of reeks of desperation, but whatever the Jets need to do to get the quarterback position looking at all serviceable is probably a positive move.
Whatever the case, some have suggested that Ryan will not be fired mid-season and will instead be evaluated in the offseason. It's hard to imagine that evaluation will go in any way that allows him to keep his job, however.
But anyway, there's a few other coaches on the hot seat who need to be discussed in advance of Sunday's games, so we'll get to them below:
The Hot Seat
Rex Ryan, New York Jets (1-6)
Doug Marrone, Buffalo Bills (3-3)
Jeff Fisher, St. Louis Rams (1-4)
Probably Safe, But Not Doing So Great
Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars (0-6)
Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons (2-4)
We already talked about the Jets, but the other two coaches on our hot seat lost their games in Week 6 as well. Marrone is in his first year with the team and while that would usually mean he has some time to right the ship, there's a new ownership group in town. That means everything he's doing right now is being scrutinized more than usual. He's essentially auditioning for his job and on Sunday, that didn't work out so well.
Buffalo was 3-2 coming into Week 6 and atop the AFC East, but they played the New England Patriots, who dominated them and took possession of the division lead. Buffalo is now 3-3 and second in the division. For some good news: there's some very winnable matches on the horizon, with the Minnesota Vikings, Jets and Miami Dolphins all in the coming weeks.
Jeff Fisher may get another season with the Rams just based on the fact that Sam Bradford is injured, but as we noted last week Fisher may be more in danger than some think. He should be questioned for sticking with Bradford in the first place, after all. Whatever the case, the Rams are a team built to beat the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks first and foremost, so there was some hope heading into Week 6. Unfortunately, the Rams fell to the 49ers on Monday Night Football and it wasn't close.
The other two coaches on our list aren't on the hot seat per se, but not showing anything this year could lead to some shakeups. The first is Gus Bradley of the Jaguars, who still don't have a win. Jacksonville faced a bad Tennessee Titans team in Week 6 and though they kept things close, they still lost, 16-14, in the end. The second is Mike Smith of the Falcons. Smith has led the Falcons to some solid seasons in Atlanta, but last year was a disaster and this year isn't shaping up any better. That didn't change on Sunday, as the Chicago Bears dominated the Falcons, 27-13.
Looking Ahead
The Jets have already lost their Week 7 game to the aforementioned Patriots. Marrone and the Bills may be getting back to above .500 though, as they're set to face the 2-4 Vikings. Buffalo is still on the brink of having what could be a good enough season for Marrone to keep his job, but he'll be expected to keep the Bills a level above the lower teams like the Vikings. A loss to Minnesota looks a lot worse when there's expectations.
It doesn't get any easier for Fisher and the Rams, though. The Seahawks may have struggled to put things together thus far, but they're still 3-2 and they're still the defending Super Bowl champions. Facing the 49ers and Seahawks back-to-back isn't the nicest draw in the world, but Fisher has to work with what he's got. Fortunately, it's a home game at the very least.
Atlanta faces a tough game against the 4-2 Baltimore Ravens, and they're doing so on the road. Both victories came at home, as they're 0-3 on the road this season. Jacksonville will have a tough time getting its first win of the season as the Cleveland Browns are coming to town, with a new and improved offense. Something is working on Cleveland, and they're currently 3-2 on the year.