Matt LaFleur joins Todd Bowles and
Shane Steichen on the early-season hot seat for NFL coaches
[September 25, 2026]
By ROB MAADDI
Move over, Todd Bowles and Shane Steichen. Make room for Matt
LaFleur on the NFL’s hot seat.
The Green Bay Packers are off to a 1-2 start following a lackluster
performance in a 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night
in their home opener at Lambeau Field.
“It’s three games in. We’re nowhere where we need to be but there’s
a lot of ball left in front of us,” LaFleur said. “It was a
butt-whipping.”
Since losing Micah Parsons to a torn ACL last December, the Packers
are 1-7. The only victory came last week against the New York Jets,
who helped give the game away.
LaFleur’s offense has struggled without running back Josh Jacobs,
who is on the commissioner’s exempt list and isn't allowed to play.
Jordan Love has been inconsistent behind a poor offensive line.
On defense, the Packers made Michael Penix Jr. look like prime
Michael Vick in his first game back from a torn ACL. Penix was 18 of
25 for 256 yards with one touchdown and one interception and a 101.4
passer rating. They couldn’t stop Bijan Robinson, but that’s
typical. Most teams can’t. Robinson had 194 yards rushing and two
TDs.
LaFleur began his coaching career with three straight 13-win
seasons. But his tenure has been marked by playoff failures.
LaFleur’s first two seasons ended with home losses in the NFC
championship game and then a home loss in the divisional round. Over
the next four seasons, the Packers had double-digit wins once and
went 1-3 in the playoffs.
Now, the Packers have opened the season with two losses in three
games and have a tough road ahead in the NFC North.
Winning seasons and playoff appearances are expected in Green Bay.
Nothing less than another Lombardi Trophy is considered a success.
That means LaFleur, despite his regular-season success, hasn’t
delivered.
In Tampa Bay, Bowles has been heavily criticized since the
Buccaneers went 2-7 to end last season after a 6-2 start. There was
surprise that management didn’t make a coaching change but Bowles
signed a three-year contract extension before the 2025 season. The
Bucs have opened with consecutive losses, including a 23-19 loss to
the Browns last Sunday that increased the heat on Bowles.
He is 35-35 in four-plus seasons, His three division titles in a
weak NFC South have resulted in a 1-3 record in the playoffs.
“I think if you lose the first two games of the year, that doesn’t
determine the other 15 games,” Bowles said. “Right now, we’re 0-2 —
we’re not 0-9 or 0-11. That doesn’t bother me as much from that
standpoint. We’ve just got to get better and win a ballgame.”
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Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur argues a call during the
first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in
Green Bay, Wis., Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
The Buccaneers host the Minnesota Vikings (2-0) on
Sunday.
“I think (there is) always pressure until you get
your first win out (of) the way,” Bowles said. “You try to get it
out the way at the beginning of the season so you don’t have to
worry about it anymore. It’s not a different kind of pressure, so to
speak. It’s probably a different kind of urgency — not that you’re
not playing urgent already — but you just want to get that first win
on the board.”
Steichen entered the season with a directive from Colts owner Carlie
Irsay-Gordon, who made it clear the coach had to turn things around
after Indianapolis lost seven straight games to end up 8-9 in 2025.
The Colts got walloped in Week 1 by the Ravens but nearly upset the
Chiefs on the road last Sunday night. Steichen was too conservative
in overtime against Kansas City.
“We’re battling like crazy,” Steichen said. “That’s the message and
we gotta continue to grow and learn, and we got a lot of football
left. Like I said last week, we’re right there. We gotta find a way
to win at the end. That was one of those games. It’s a freaking hard
league and you gotta find a way to win these tight games.”
The Colts are home underdogs against Houston (0-2) on Sunday in a
division matchup between two teams that came in with high
expectations.
Jets coach Aaron Glenn also could end up on the hot seat at some
point this season. Jim Harbaugh and DeMeco Ryans are both 0-2 but
should be safe because of their success in recent seasons. Dan Quinn
and the Commanders are 0-2 but expectations are low after losing
Jayden Daniels.
Last season, the Titans fired Brian Callahan after a 1-5 start. The
Jets fired Robert Saleh at 2-3 in 2024.
History says there’s a solid chance a coach loses his job next
month.
A few wins can cool the seat.
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