NFL: Who will be the next coach to be fired?
(Photo : Reuters)

There are only four weeks left before the NFL regular season ends and this month is also very crucial for the coaches because teams are now competing to be in the playoffs. Before the regular season ends however, there are a few other teams expected to make some coaching changes.

As recently reported, the Carolina Panthers fired Head Coach Ron Rivera on Tuesday making him the second coach to be fired this season. He followed Jay Gruden who was shown the door from the Washington Redskins this past October. The owner of the Carolina Panthers, David Tepper, said that he had made it clear to Coach Rivera early on that similar will happen if his expectations are not met. 

He said in an interview that "I wanted to tell him, this is what is going on and I want to make this change. I would hope to wait until the end of the year. I don't want to go and start doing searches beforehand, but I can't be put at a competitive disadvantage."

Rivera's firing came as a shock to many, but then again the Panthers weren't necessarily performing well either. However, they're not the only NFL team that's showing sub-par performaces, and like we always say perform well or you gotta go. 

Here is a list of coaches who are in the hot seat and ranked as to which ones are most likely to be job hunting come 2020:

1. Doug Marrone of the Jaguars

  • The owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Shad Khan, already put a formal notice to his leadership following last year's 5-11 campaign and the discord and defeats of the team this season. Jacksonville is the only losing team in its division with a record of 4-8. Meanwhile, Marrone is probably not looking forward to a fifth year with the Jacksonville organization. 

2. Dan Quinn of the Falcons

  • Team owner Arthur Blank was supposed to change the team's coach during the midseason, but decided to let Dan Quinn coach the team until the end of the regular season. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons showed an impressive performance after they defeated the Panthers and the Saints in November. However, it is too late for them as they are the second team to be eliminated from playoff contention.

3. Jason Garrett of the Cowboys

  • Jerry Jones said on Tuesday that his coach will be in the NFL next season without stating as to which team his current employee will be leading. Jones said that the team's roster is in its top form, but the execution is not there. Jason Garrett is likely to remain underfire even if the franchise reaches the championship game.

4. Pat Shurmur of the Giants

  • The co-owner of the team said that he will make an honest evaluation of the team's performance including Pat Shurmur at the end of the season. This is already a sign for Shurmur who is responsible for the limited development of the rookie quarterback Daniel Jones and his performance during his first 10 games in the league. Even if there are some developments in the team, it is assumed already that Pat Shurmur will join Rivera on the list of fired NFL coaches.

5. Matt Patricia of the Lions

  • Matt Patricia stepped into a position on a team that is infamous for poor performance. I mean afterall, this franchise caused one of the greatest to ever play the game, i.e. Barry Sanders, to retire early as he knew he'd never win in Detroit. None the less, Patricia's role in shaping the team has been vague since the beginning of the season. The Lions rank 30th and allowed 280.1 yards per game. It would be very difficult for the team's General Manager, Bob Quinn, to do the same with Coach Rivera since Patricia is a fellow New Englander. But hey, you win, or you go.

Head coaches in any sport are always likely to take the blame for a mediocre season, it's their job, and with that burden comes the additional pressure of performing well, or becoming jobless halfway through the season.