After the Washington Commanders lost their fourth straight game to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Ron Rivera insisted it isn’t panic time. While the head coach likely didn’t want to incite panic in his players and the team’s fans, if this isn’t time to panic, then what qualifies? A winless record through five games?
Rivera is in Year 3 of a rebuild. The Commanders are 1-4 and look headed for another double-digit loss season barring an unforeseen turnaround. While Rivera deserves credit for changing the culture, the main responsibility of his job as head coach is to win football games and that’s not happening nearly enough.
After the Panthers fired Matt Rhule on Monday, Rivera’s seat is now the hottest in the league. Rivera keeps preaching that change isn’t going to happen overnight and “we have to be realistic with what we have,” but teams under the tutelage of first-year head coaches are already showing major improvement in Year 1.
3 first-year head coaches showing more than Commanders’ Ron Rivera
3. Mike McDaniel (Dolphins)
McDaniel would’ve ranked No. 1 on this list two weeks ago. Then, the Tua Tagovailoa concussion/back injury debacle happened so we have some questions about McDaniel that we previously didn’t. It’s tough to say who should be blamed for the Tagovailoa situation, but McDaniel has to shoulder some of the blame as the team’s head coach.
Putting that side, McDaniel looks the part of an up-and-coming head coach. The Dolphins have dropped two games in a row after starting the year 3-0, but that can be attributed to the Tagovailoa injury as the former No. 5 overall pick was playing the best football of his career with 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
Still, that takes nothing away from Miami’s strong start. Remember, they knocked off the Patriots, Ravens and Bills to start the season. Quite a way for McDaniel to open his account. Like the next head coach on this list, McDaniel inherited a talented roster, but you can’t deny he has the team playing good football.
We’ll see how the Dolphins respond to their first bit of adversity under McDaniel — giving up 40 points to the Jets is never a good look — but the future is bright in South Beach under the former 49ers offensive coordinator … so long as he escapes the Tagovailoa investigation with his job still in place.
2. Kevin O’Connell (Vikings)
The Vikings are 4-1 through five weeks, with their only loss coming against the undefeated Eagles. O’Connell kicked off his coaching tenure by beating the Packers handily at home. Could you have scripted a better start? Since then, he’s knocked off the Saints on the road in New Orleans, which is never easy, and the upstart Lions.
O’Connell is the NFL’s second-youngest coach behind Sean McVay, but you wouldn’t know it based on the Vikings’ week-to-week performance.
After sitting through years of mediocrity under Mike Zimmer’s tutelage and wasting a high-octane offense led by Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson, fans in the North Star State are suddenly full of confidence instead of dreading Sundays knowing a heartbreaking loss was on the way.
As McVay’s former offensive coordinator in Los Angeles, O’Connell has instilled intelligent offensive blueprints to get the ball into the hands of his best players, including Jefferson, who leads the NFL with 547 receiving yards.
O’Connell inherited a talented roster, but talent means nothing if players aren’t well-coached. Don’t have to tell that to Vikings fans, though.
1. Brian Daboll (NY Giants)
Not only is Daboll showing more than Rivera, but he might be the leading candidate for Coach of the Year after five games. Nick Sirianni might have something to say about that, but is there a head coach in the NFL doing more with less right now than Daboll? Absolutely not.
On Sunday, the Giants improved to 4-1 after beating the Packers in London. Daboll has Daniel Jones playing the best football of his career and he just beat Aaron Rodgers with a hobbled ankle and the following players catching passes: Marcus Johnson, Daniel Bellinger, Richie James, Davis Sills and Chris Myarick
That’s maybe the most impressive start of Daboll’s Giants tenure: he uses every player on the roster and the entire roster is ready to play.
Kenny Golladay is far and away the team’s most talented receiver and Daboll didn’t hesitate benching him for poor play and effort. Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney are hurt? That’s fine. Richie James and Davis Sills will step in. Even Darius Slayon, who looked destined to be traded during preseason, came out of nowhere to lead New York in receiving on Sunday.
Per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Daboll mixed in practice squad players with players already on the 53-man roster during seven-on-seven drills last week. He has a great relationship with nearly every player on the roster and his players return the favor by being ready to do their job on Sundays.
Frustrating how simple this all sounds.