Top 3 NFL Coaches On The Hot Seat After Week 13

After the 2021 NFL season, a record tying 10 teams were searching for their next head coach. In its final stretch, the NFL's 2022 season has already seen two coaches relived of their play calling duties. As playoff brackets begin to take shape after week 13 and teams fall out of playoff contention coaches get put on the hot seat.

Here are the top 3 2022 NFL head coaches on the hot seat

Nathaniel Hackett, Denver Broncos, 3-10-0

The Denver Broncos are 4th in the AFC West, after coming into the 2022 season with mile-high expectations. Nathanial Hackett has an impressive resume in the NFL as an offensive coordinator, however that has not carried over to his head coaching tenure in Denver.

The Broncos are ranked last in the NFL in scoring (13.8 points per game), and are ranked 27th (315.2 yards per game). Despite bringing in Russell Wilson, the nine-time Pro-Bowler is having the worst season of his 11-year career. Having thrown only eight touchdowns this season, a stark contrast from his days with Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks.

Hackett, was criticized for his clock management in his head-coaching debut against the Seahawks and again in the Broncos' week two matchup with the Houston Texans. Denver hired Jerry Rosburg after the nail biting victory over the Texans, to serve as an assistant to Hackett and help him with game and clock management.

The Kansas City Chiefs are on pace to win their seventh AFC West title, while Hackett looks to be a candidate as a one-and-done head coach for the Broncos.

Lovie Smith, Houston Texans, 1-10-1

Going 4-13 and firing head coach David Culley after the 2021 season, the NFL was not expecting a Super Bowl run from the Houston Texans in 2022. The Texans are ranked last in the AFC South, and bottom half of the NFL in many offensive and defensive statistics. All though winning four games last year should not be considered a bright spot, for the Texans, it outshines their lonesome victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars under head coach Lovie Smith this season.

After being promoted to head coach, serving as defensive coordinator in 2021 for the Texans, Smith was not dealt the best hand. The 2005 NFL Head Coach of The Year inherited one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL, a lack of talent across the roster and a rebuilding team with enough holes to flood the Hoover Dam.

The Texans are ranked 31st (15.7 points per game), 32nd in overall offense (279.3 yards per game) and 28th in overall defense (378.3 defensive total yards per game) in 2022. It would not be fair to fire a a head coach under these circumstances, yet it did not stop the Houston front office from dismissing Culley after a 4-13 season. Smith is currently 1-10-1 and expected to be on the hot seat, as his future with the Texans will be in question after the 2022 season.

Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals, 4-8

There were high hopes in the desert for the Arizona Cardinals heading into the 2022 season. Currently ranked 3rd in the NFC West, the thought of the Cardinals competing for a division title and making a playoff run are fading, as patience with fourth-year coach Kliff Kingsbury is running thin.

Despite an impressive 7–0 start in 2021, an accomplishment the Cardinals had not seen in 47 years, Arizona has suffered back-to-back consecutive late-season collapses, losing four out of their last five games last year. The Cards' were knocked out of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Rams on their way to a Super Bowl victory.

The Cardinals are ranked 31st in points allowed (26.8 points per game), 21st in total defense (356.2 yards per game) and 20th in total offense (334.8 yards per game). Not to mention an embarrassing 38-10 loss to the 49ers in the NFL's last international game of the season. The Cardinals are trending towards a third consecutive back-end of the season disintegration in 2022.

Kingsbury may not feel the heat at the moment, but as we approach the final stretch of the season, his seat might start feeling a bit warmer. On the cusp of having another year fall to pieces, paired up with a terrible start to the 2022 season, the former Texas Tech head coach is hanging on to his NFL head coaching job by a string.