This has been a very bizarre NFL season. If you happen to went again to June and informed somebody that the Commanders can be main the NFC East, the AFC East wouldn’t be shut in any respect, and the 49ers can be locked at .500 with two different groups within the NFC West, no one would imagine you.
If 2024 has taught us something it’s shifting traits in soccer have made it very troublesome to foretell futures within the league. Additionally, the very best coaches present their chops by with the ability to adapt to altering situations contained in the season and discover methods for his or her groups to win regardless.
So, who’re the entrance runners for Coach of the 12 months in a season as unpredictable as this one?
Dan Campbell — Detroit Lions
Lots about COY comes all the way down to previous recognition. Voters love to offer this award to first-time winners, and whenever you couple that with Campbell’s resume this season it’s a reasonably secure wager.
The Lions are cruising at 6-1 proper now, and in case you have a look at their remaining schedule it’s not exterior the realm of chance they end the common season at 13-4 (on the very worst). In the event that they win the NFC North and go on a run to the NFC Championship sport or higher, there’s little doubt Campbell can be a favourite for the award.
This can be a physique of labor scenario, the place it’s not simply what Campbell has achieved this season, however in totality as he’s turned the Lions from a two-decade laughing inventory of the NFL into one of the crucial terrifying compete groups in soccer.
Dan Quinn — Washington Commanders
There’s the same case to be made for Quinn as Campbell, although barely much less pronounced. What give him the slight rub is the mammoth bounce Washington has taken from 2023 to now.
A yr in the past this was a 4-13 staff choosing No. 2 within the NFL Draft. Now they’ve already surpassed their win complete from a season in the past, and have extra hope getting into the second half of the yr than at any level in years.
Couple this with a comfortable schedule within the back-stretch with 4 easy-to-win video games and a handful off toss ups, and we now have a really actual scenario the place Washington could possibly be a 12+ win staff. That mammoth year-over-year enchancment is what has gained coaches the award previously, and the defensive bounce this staff has taken in addition to their talent with a rookie quarterback has made them a juggernaut.
Andy Reid — Kansas Metropolis Chiefs
There are two methods you’ll be able to view the Chiefs in 2024: One is a staff that has taken a step again and appears a lot shakier than both of their final two Tremendous Bowl seasons. The opposite is a 7-0 staff, nonetheless surging, whereas coping with mammoth accidents on offense and an unpredictable season from Travis Kelce.
Certain, you may concentrate on slim wins over the Raiders, Bengals and Falcons — utilizing that as an indication the staff actually isn’t all that, however the reality is that the 2024 Chiefs function on ruthless effectivity over flashy performs and whenever you have a look at roster high quality top-to-bottom it’s troublesome to place them on par with a number of the different finest groups within the league.
If Reid has the Chiefs cruising to their third Tremendous Bowl look in a row, and if rumors begin effervescent up that that is his last season then we might very effectively see the 2024 COY as a lifetime achievement award of types.
Mike Tomlin — Pittsburgh Steelers
Nothing Mike Tomlin does as a coach is flashy, however the best testomony to his skill is that he by no means, ever is ready the place the Steelers aren’t aggressive. The person has an unnatural skill to get his employees on the identical web page, roll with the punches of the season, and frequently discover methods to maintain the staff aggressive and a playoff risk.
The Steelers of 2024 don’t have a real No. 1 receiver. They’ve began two quarterbacks to equal success. Najee Harris has been up-and-down as a rusher. Nonetheless they’re 6-2 and accountable for the AFC North, the league’s most-competitive division. A few of that has been aided by abject catastrophe in Cleveland a defensive struggles on the Bengals — however it’s nonetheless rattling spectacular that he has this staff rolling despite all of it.
Tomlin is an outdoor shot for this award if we’re being completely sincere, and his job in 2024 requires extra nuance — which is one thing the award hasn’t rewarded previously. Nonetheless, exterior of successful the Tremendous Bowl you’d be arduous pressed to discover a extra spectacular season from any coach this yr.
Different potential coaches to observe
Jonathan Gannon — Arizona Cardinals
If the Cardinals win the NFC West with their roster then Gannon will deserve some consideration.
Matt LeFleur — Inexperienced Bay Packers
Bouncing again since buying and selling away Aaron Rodgers and being among the best groups within the NFC is an unimaginable feat.
Kevin O’Connell — Minnesota Vikings
The rock-bottom expectations for the Vikings this season have been completely trounced by their stellar efficiency on the sphere.
