NFL head coach hot seat rankings: Jim Harbaugh on thin ice in Week 3 after Chargers' 0-2 start

We're merely two weeks into the 2026 regular season, but the stumbling out of the gate is rampant for some teams. Things have gone so sideways for a few coaches that the temperature under their seats is rising. Of course, every coach entered the season with varying degrees of job security, and some (like Bengals coach Zac Taylor) have been able to cool things down with a solid start. Others have not been as fortunate, and those are the unlucky bunch that we'll be highlighting here. 

Have things reached a fever pitch to the point that a change could be imminent? No. We probably have a few weeks before anything definitive happens, as organizations typically let the first month play out before making any decisions about staff. For instance, Matt Rhule was fired by the Carolina Panthers after Week 5 of the 2022 season. Robert Saleh was also fired by the Jets after Week 5 of the 2024 season. 

However, that's not to say that things aren't uneasy around the halls of various facilities. So, with that in mind, let's roll out and rank the seven coaches who have the hottest seats in the league after Week 2. 

7. Matt LaFleur

• 2026 record: 1-1

LaFleur may have found himself higher on this list had it not been for his Packers rallying late to beat the Jets in Week 2. Even in the winning effort, they weren't that impressive. In fact, Green Bay became the first team in the Super Bowl era to win a game with under 200 total yards, 10-plus penalties, and zero turnovers (teams were previously 0-38). This lackluster showing (albeit in a win) also comes off the heels of blowing a 22-10 second-half lead to the Vikings in Week 1, where they were outscored 22-0 in the fourth quarter. It just hasn't looked right. 

Part of that can be attributed to not having two key pieces of their roster: pass rusher Micah Parsons (on injured reserve) and running back Josh Jacobs (commissioner's exempt list). Parsons could be back by mid-October as he continues to recover from his ACL tear last season. Meanwhile, it's unclear what Jacobs' status will be. Even accounting for their absences, it still looks clunky. They play the Falcons on Thursday to begin Week 3, which should be an opportunity to put together a second straight win as they open up Lambeau Field. Their Week 4 matchup is also favorable against the Bucs (road), so they could conceivably come out of the first month 3-1. That would alleviate a lot of pressure for LaFleur (who signed an extension this offseason), especially with reinforcements possibly on the horizon. 

6. DeMeco Ryans

• 2026 record: 0-2

Houston finds itself at 0-2 to begin the season, but that's become a relatively familiar place under Ryans. This is the third 0-2 start in Ryan's four-year tenure as Texans coach. Despite those shaky starts, they've ended up making the playoffs in every season with him at the helm, so maybe this is just what they do. That said, there are some red flags surrounding the organization. Namely, the offense got next to nothing from the rushing attack in their Week 2 loss to Cincinnati. They rushed just 18 times for 60 yards. While the backfield did score three total touchdowns in Week 1, it still wasn't an efficient day. 

The biggest concern, however, is the defense (Ryans specialty) not delivering the same lockdown performances we saw from them in 2025. The unit surrendered 36 points to Buffalo in Week 1 and then 20 to the Bengals on Sunday. Houston let both Josh Allen and Joe Burrow throw for at least two touchdowns and zero interceptions. That matched its total from all of last season. If the defense under Ryans regresses, overcoming the early-season losses may not happen this time around. And if they miss the playoffs, that could open the door for change. 

5. Shane Steichen

• 2026 record: 0-2

Carlie Irsay-Gordon was quite clear in her end-of-season press conference at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign that if this current group didn't start putting together wins, they'd be gone. Well, we're two weeks into the 2026 season, and the Colts have yet to put a notch in the win column. Indy's defense has been sliced and diced throughout the first couple of weeks. First, the Ravens dropped 41in the season opener, with Derrick Henry accounting for three rushing touchdowns. Then, on Sunday night, Patrick Mahomes carved them up to the tune of a 33-30 overtime win. Through two games, the Colts' defense has given up 1,029 total yards and is allowing 37 points per game. That's not going to cut it. 

Beyond the poor numbers defensively, there have also been some in-game coaching lapses. Against the Chiefs in Week 2, after Laquon Treadwell caught a 48-yard pass to put the Colts at the K.C. 17-yard line, Shan Steichen and the offense balked. They ran it with Jonathan Taylor on back-to-back plays that traveled -3 yards. Then, on third-and-13, Daniel Jones scrambled for a 5-yard gain. They then opted for a 38-yard field goal to simply tie the game. If I'm Irsay-Gordon, I'd want them to be more aggressive in that spot. They didn't make one throw to the end zone and, given how the defense had been playing, should've tried to win the game right then and there with a touchdown.  

The Colts have a divisional matchup with the Texans in Week 3 before heading to London to face the Commanders. If they head back to the United States still without a win by that point, everything could be on the table. 

4. Dan Quinn

• 2026 record: 0-2

Quinn may get the benefit of the doubt because of Jayden Daniels' elbow injury, but the start of the 2026 season has been pretty rough for the head coach. The franchise is 0-2 for the first time since 2019 and is now just 2-12 over their last 14 games played. To make matters worse, this 0-2 start has come against NFC East teams, digging them into an early hole in the division race. 

Quinn is a defensive-minded coach, and the unit has shown little improvement in the first couple of weeks this season. The 30.5 points allowed per game are the fourth-highest in the league. Meanwhile, opposing quarterbacks have averaged a league-high 137.1 passer rating against this Washington secondary. The Commanders are one of just three teams that have yet to generate a turnover. Again, this is supposed to be Quinn's specialty, so seeing deficiencies here is jarring. 

Then, there are some befuddling coaching decisions. For instance, Quinn should have probably taken the points against Dallas right before the half and opted for a field goal. That would've cut it to a 17-13 Cowboys lead at the break, with Washington getting the ball to start the third with the chance to take the lead. Instead, he kept the offense on the field for the third-and-goal attempt from the Dallas 1-yard line and couldn't convert. To add insult to injury, that was the play on which Daniels suffered the elbow injury.  

3. Jim Harbaugh

• 2026 record: 0-2

Coming into the season, the Chargers were the sexy pick to win the AFC West and even to come out of the AFC. The theory was that they were getting their star offensive tackles back and that new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel would supercharge Justin Herbert. Through two games, it's been an unmitigated disaster. Los Angeles has dropped to 0-2 and has lost to what was thought to be inferior competition. The Chargers lost the opener to the Arizona Cardinals in the biggest Week 1 upset, then fell to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The McDaniel-led offense has been stagnant, averaging just 14 points per game, while Herbert has thrown three interceptions and has an off-target rate of 13%. 

The Chargers are the first team ever to start 0-2, with both losses coming against 14-plus loss teams from the previous season. Going back to last year (including playoffs), L.A. has now lost five straight games. That's the first five-game losing streak of Jim Harbaugh's coaching career (NFL or NCAA). The Chargers are averaging just 10 points per game over those contests. 

It won't get any easier for Harbaugh either. Over the next seven games, the Chargers will play five teams that won a playoff game last season (Bills, Seahawks, Broncos, Rams and Texans). The only two who did not win a playoff game that they'll see over this stretch are the Chiefs and Ravens, who have former MVP quarterbacks at their disposal. 

Specifically, their next two games will be on the road at Buffalo and then at Seattle. That means 0-4 is truly on the table, and we could look up by Week 10 and see them well below .500 if they don't get their act together. 

If the floor does fall out from under them over the next couple of months, the entire operation's future is in doubt, from the quarterback to the head coach. 

2. Aaron Glenn

• 2026 record: 1-1

The Jets are 1-1 on the season and have actually been pretty spunky. They pulled off the road upset against the Titans in Week 1 and then took it to the Packers in the home opener on Sunday, but eventually fell in overtime. While the roster is unquestionably better than it was a year ago, they still have some coaching blunders with Glenn pulling the strings. Had they had better coaching in Week 2, they may have even pulled off the win against Green Bay. 

For instance, in the final moments of regulation, the Jets stopped the Packers' offense on third down. At that time, Glenn could've called a timeout and would've gotten the ball back with about 50 seconds left in the game. Instead of giving the offense a chance to go down the field and potentially set up a game-winning field goal, Glenn let Green Bay run the clock out and send the game to overtime. Then, in the extra period, the Jets won the toss but elected to take possession first. Typically, teams that win the toss opt to take possession second, as it frees up fourth down and you know whether or not you need a touchdown or merely a field goal. The offense went three-and-out, so all the Packers needed was a field goal, which they made to hand New York its first loss of the year. It's those miscues that keep Glenn's seat simmering. 

1. Todd Bowles

• 2026 record: 0-2

Todd Bowles came into the season with arguably the hottest seat of any coach in the NFL. Through two games, it's hard to suggest that anything has cooled in that regard. The Bucs are 0-2 on the season, tied for last place in the NFC South. They struggled mightily with turnovers in the Week 1 loss to Cincinnati, putting the ball on the ground four times in a 33-27 defeat. While losing to Joe Burrow and the Bengals on the road is one thing, losing your home opener against the Cleveland Browns is inexcusable. Tampa Bay let the Deshaun Watson-led Browns offense go on a 12-play, 68-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to take a 23-19 lead. 

Maybe the most damming development from this game was that they had the ball at the Cleveland 34-yard line at the two-minute warning, right as a lightning delay held the game up for roughly two hours. Despite that added time to prepare and scheme up a way to find the end zone, they petered out and dropped to 0-2. 

Remember, Bowles shook up his coaching staff after missing the playoffs last year, firing his offensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, quarterbacks coach, cornerbacks coach and others. Those are the types of moves you make as a last-ditch effort before you're shown the door. After starting 2026 winless through the first two weeks for the first time since 2014, Bowles could be the first coach fired this season if things don't turn around.