We are coming down the final stretch of the 2019 regular season, and we are left with three types of teams. A third of the league is fighting for a playoff berth, a third of the league is settled into not going into the playoffs but not expecting to make big changes, and potentially a third of the league is looking at big changes to shake things up.
Washington and the Carolina Panthers got things going for that latter third. Washington fired head coach Jay Gruden after an 0-5 start, while the Panthers fired head coach Ron Rivera after a Week 13 loss — fittingly enough to Washington.
One notable piece of news in Week 16 came out of Detroit. Owner Martha Ford told Lions media that she will not fire head coach Matt Patricia or general manager Bob Quinn this year. She did say that she expects the team to be competing in meaningful games next December.
While Patricia and Quinn are safe, plenty of other coaches and executives are on the hot seat. We could see one or two coaches fired between now and the end of the season, but we can say with certainty that other coaches and some general managers will be fired on Black Monday. We’ll be tracking the rumors, news, and plenty more as the season comes to a close.