The NFL offseason is full of optimism. Every team can convince themselves that this could be their year. Then Week 1 comes around and that optimism goes poof for half the teams in the league. Somebody's got to lose after all.
The 2023 NFL season started no different than any other. There were winners and losers. And there were coaches whose seats started to feel very, very hot.
Which coaches are one step closer to getting the ax after just one week of NFL action?
No. 3 NFL coach on the hot seat after Week 1: Vikings playcaller Kevin O'Connell
No, the Vikings have no business thinking about firing Kevin O'Connell after one loss in 2023. But O'Connell does need to fire himself as the team's playcaller.
It just wasn't working for Minnesota. With firepower like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison available to them, the Vikings should consistently be one of the most dangerous offenses in the league. But O'Connell doesn't have the balance down and can't seem to maximize the talent.
My man, the tight end screens aren't working. T.J. Hockenson caught eight passes for 35 yards. What good is 4.4 yards per catch from your tight end? You know what does work? Putting the ball in the hands of your elite playmakers.
O'Connell also isn't willing to commit to the run, or his run schemes are so bad, that he knows he can't lean on the ground game. Either way, it has to change for the Vikings to unlock their potential.
No. 2 NFL coach on the hot seat: DC Alan Williams
Matt Eberflus doesn't want to be on the hot seat in Chicago, so he needs to pick a scapegoat quickly because someone has to bear the blame for that Week 1 performance against the Packers.
Green Bay was supposed to be diminished without Aaron Rodgers. They were supposed to be vulnerable with Jordan Love taking over at quarterback. Instead, the Packers made the Bears look like their little brothers again with a beatdown that was worse than the final score of 38-20 reveals.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy's game plan wasn't very impressive in this one. The Bears offense has limitations that can't be denied. But when the defense gives up 38 points to a first-year starter rivals spent the offseason clowning, the defensive coordinator has to end up under a microscope. Allen Williams, come on down.
The defense gave up three touchdowns to Love, who was hardly pressured. They got gashed by Aaron Jones. Simply put, Williams' defense was thoroughly outcoached by Matt LaFleur's offense.
Eberflus is a defense-minded head coach so he's certainly not innocent in any of this.
No. 1 NFL coach on the hot seat after Week 1: Steelers OC Matt Canada
Matt Canada was already viewed with skepticism in Pittsburgh after his first two seasons running the Steelers offense. But a near-perfect preseason showing from the first-team offense had fans dreaming of bigger and better things in 2023.
Those dreams crashed and burned in Week 1 when they were reminded that Canada is still their offensive coordinator. And Canada is still Canada.
The Steelers managed just seven points in the opener. Quarterback Kenny Pickett threw two interceptions and was sacked five times as the Pittsburgh front was overrun by the 49ers. They had no run game to speak of beyond Najee Harris breaking free for one 24-yard run.
Basically, the performance was a disaster.
Canada can make the excuse that the 49ers have one of the best defenses in the NFL but that simply doesn't fly. He's paid to unlock whatever defense is in front of him and he hasn't done that consistently whether playing good defenses or bad ones.
The fact that Mike Tomlin brought Canada back for 2023 was questionable enough. The OC needs to turn it around quickly and emphatically because his seat should be on fire.