It’s fair to say that this NFL season has been one of the most unpredictable seasons of the decade. Not one team stayed consistent all season and many of the elite NFL teams have lost to some of the worst. 

“This NFL season has had some wild outcomes. You have teams like the Detroit Lions beating the Cardinals and Packers. An even crazier game was the Jacksonville Jaguars eliminating the Colts to keep them out of playoff contention. I guess that proves that anything can happen on any given Sunday,” said AV football player Jalen Alami (‘24). 

One headline that is not discussed as much as deserved is how the Las Vegas Raiders advanced to the playoffs, despite losing their head coach, Jon Gruden, in the middle of the season. Coaching changes heavily impact the stability of an NFL team, especially when it’s a head coaching change. 

“Football coaches are by far the most important of any sport from play calling to controlling all the player’s egos. They set the team’s morale and often if the team is bad so is the coach. I think so many coaches were fired because many of these teams had higher expectations and the owners feel the coaches are holding them back,” said AV football player Dominic Varner (22’).

There have been several coaching changes made already, and the season isn’t even over yet. Here are the coaches that have been fired (so far):

• David Culley, Houston Texans
• Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins
• Joe Judge, New York Giants
• Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears
• Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings
• Vic Fangio, Denver Broncos
• Urban Meyer, Jacksonville Jaguars
• Jon Gruden, Las Vegas Raiders (resigned)

Only the Las Vegas Raiders ended up making the playoffs, only to lose in the first round against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, these other head coaches have been let go as a result of their poor performance managing their team this season. As we approach the offseason, these 8 teams, with potentially more, will be interviewing tons of possible candidates for the most important position on their coaching staff.

The NFL Super Bowl is right around the corner, and tons of NFL fans are casting in their predictions on the Super Bowl champion. This season has been wildly unpredictable, and there are some unfamiliar faces making a run for the title.

“I think the Niners are going to win the Super Bowl, but I might be a little biased considering I’m a huge Niners fan. However, I do believe we have a good shot with our elite defense, smart head coaching, and the versatility of Deebo Samuel,” said football fan Jaylon Shaghasi (‘24).

Though the teams are different this year, the excitement is still the same. NFL teams will put everything on the line to secure their team another win and advance towards the Super Bowl. The action continues this Sunday with the final four teams competing to complete their season at SoFi Stadium, the location of Super Bowl 56.