NFL Hot Seat Odds: Will Rivera or Eberflus Become the First Head Coach to Be Fired This Season?
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Last Update: Thu Oct 05, 2023, 3:31 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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Week 5 of the NFL season will get underway tonight as the Chicago Bears visit the Washington Commanders in this week's Thursday Night Football matchup.
While it is still early in the season, it isn't too early to start discussing the future of some of the head coaches around the league.
The first four weeks of the season couldn't have gone much better for Todd Bowles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have started 3-1 and sit alone atop the NFC South standings. It remains to be seen if the Bucs can continue their solid start, but they have hit the ground running more so than anyone else in a division that is one of the NFL's weakest and most wide-open.
The same can't be said for the two coaches in tonight's game at FedExField, however.
Eberflus, Rivera Firmly on Hot Seat Ahead of Thursday Night Matchup
Things are especially tenuous at the moment for Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who finds himself firmly on the hot seat after only 21 games as head coach.
This season was expected to be one of progress for Chicago; instead, they are one of the only two winless teams–the Arizona Cardinals are the other–in the league.
For Commanders coach Ron Rivera, things started more brightly than expected, as Washington opened the season with wins over the Cardinals and Denver Broncos.
But they have dropped their last two games, including a very winnable game against the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday.
Tonight's Bears vs Commanders matchup is therefore a very important game for both teams.
Will either Eberflus or Rivera find themselves without a job in the coming months? They are first and third in the latest NFL hot seat odds, with Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels sandwiched between them.
Which NFL Head Coach Will Be Fired First This Season?
Odds are via BetUS as of Thursday, October 5, 2023.
- Matt Eberflus (Chicago Bears) -260
- Josh McDaniels (Las Vegas Raiders) +400
- Ron Rivera (Washington Commanders) +800
- Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Chargers) +900
- Kevin O'Connell (Minnesota Vikings) +1600
- Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys) +2500
- Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints) +3000
- Robert Saleh (New York Jets) +3000
- Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns) +3000
- Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) +6000
- Sean Payton (Denver Broncos) +6000
- Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans) +6000
- Brian Daboll (New York Giants) +7500
- Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers) +7500
- Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams) +10000
- Arthur Smith (Atlanta Falcons) +10000
- Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals) +10000
Which NFL Coaches Are on the Hottest of Seats?
Matt Eberflus, Chicago Bears (-260)
With a promising young quarterback in Justin Fields, it seemed an odd choice to hire Eberflus, who was formerly the Colts' defensive coordinator.
Despite finishing 3-14 last season, there were some promising moments. Fields threw for over 2,000 yards, rushed for over 1,000, and accounted for 25 total touchdowns, and the hype and expectations were high for his third year as a pro.
However, this season has brought nothing but pain so far for Fields, Eberflus, and the Bears. After being dreadful in his first three games, Fields had one of the best games of his NFL career against the Broncos last Sunday, but Chicago blew a 28-7 lead in the second half to lose 31-28.
Not getting the most out of Fields week in, week out is a glaring enough issue, but when you are a former defensive coordinator and your defense is awful, it only further increases your likelihood of imminent unemployment.
It's likely only a matter of time before Eberflus is put out of his misery, but will a change be made during the season?
Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders (+400)
In the second season of his second stint as an NFL head coach, McDaniels has a record of 18-30. Is he one of the worst head coaches in NFL history? That might be a stretch, but his second stint looks like it might end in a similar fashion as his first.
His first stint, which came with the Broncos in 2009 and 2010, ended a dozen games into his second season. It's possible that he beats that this time around, but the Raiders look like they are headed nowhere fast.
They opened the season with a win over the Broncos but have since lost to the Bills, Steelers, and Chargers.
The next three weeks might make or break McDaniels' tenure. There are three winnable games against the Green Bay Packers (home), New England Patriots (home), and Bears (away).
If they can't win at least the two home games, the countdown might need to begin for McDaniels.
Ron Rivera, Washington Commanders (+800)
The Commanders played the Eagles closer than most teams have over the last season-plus, but it still counts as a missed opportunity, especially when they had a real chance to win in Philadelphia, which is no small accomplishment.
Ultimately, the Commanders haven't been as bad as the Bears and Raiders have been. But with the team under new ownership, going four for four in failing to finish with a winning record is likely to bring about the end of Rivera's tenure.
And if Mike Tomlin looks likely to be available at the end of the season, an especially early end is a real possibility.
Where to Bet on the NFL
Many of the top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of NFL odds throughout the season.
In addition to being able to bet on Super Bowl spread and over/under betting odds when the big game arrives, you can make weekly NFL picks on games all season long.
Also, you can bet on NFL MVP odds, Offensive Player of the Year odds, and NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds, and odds on the other major NFL awards at most reputable sports betting sites.
There are plenty of sports betting sites you can choose from that are good for NFL betting, but here are several books that we have reviewed and highly recommend:
If you don't have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.
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