Why the Raiders must fire Josh McDaniels after their humiliating loss to the Bears
Josh McDaniels, head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, has been in this scenario before, in a seat that seems to get hotter with each passing week. A similar scenario occurred in 2010 with the Denver Broncos, when he was fired following only 12 games during his second season. It feels like déjà vu for him, not quite halfway through his second season with the Raiders.
McDaniels has an 11-17 record in his first two seasons with the Broncos in 2010. With the Raiders in 2023, he has a 9-15 record in 24 games, leaving many in Sin City wondering when he will be fired on his second head coaching try.
Josh McDaniels’ second head coaching opportunity may be his last.
It is not rare for head coaches who were unsuccessful in their first attempts to be given a second shot, which is a common occurrence in the NFL. Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll are two coaches who have turned their careers around after a difficult start. McDaniels, on the other hand, appears to be the rule rather than the exception.
McDaniels waited 12 years for his second head coaching job. While he had been interviewed numerous times over the years, he was either not selected by other teams or turned them down for various reasons, such as when he agreed to join the Indianapolis Colts in 2018 but later changed his mind to stay with the Patriots, Belichick, and Tom Brady. The Patriots last won the Super Bowl in 2018.
A year after Brady departed the Patriots and won his seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McDaniels ultimately accepted the Raiders position in 2022. With Brady being officially retiring, both McDaniels and Belichick are in charge of losing clubs and are on the hot seat.
The leash is obviously longer for Belichick, who has a long track record of accomplishment. McDaniels’ predicament, on the other hand, is altogether different. His Week 7 loss to the Bears is a stark reminder of his head coaching career’s direction and what it is likely to stay.
Player personnel, QB issues has plagued Josh McDaniels’ head coaching career
Throughout McDaniels’ brief head coaching career, his biggest challenge, as with many head coaches, has been finding a reliable quarterback. In Denver, he began by trading Jay Cutler to the Bears for Kyle Orton. The Broncos started the 2009 season with a perfect 6-0 record but then went 2-8 for the rest of the season, missing the playoffs.
In the 2010 NFL Draft, McDaniels and the Broncos selected Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow in the first round. Tebow helped lead Denver to a playoff win the year after McDaniels was fired. However, due to perceived limitations in Tebow’s skill set, his selection faced significant criticism and was one of the reasons for McDaniels’ firing. His decisions regarding player personnel have consistently attracted criticism.
Today, McDaniels is dealing with identical difficulties, but under different circumstances. The Raiders fired Derek Carr following a team dispute before to McDaniels’ arrival, and they signed free agent Jimmy Garoppolo. The Raiders and McDaniels initially saw this as a sound decision, even if Garoppolo was likely supposed to be a short-term solution.
Garoppolo has missed two of the Raiders’ seven games this season due to injuries, but he is 3-2 when quarterback does play. However, even with Garoppolo leading the way, the Raiders are unable to produce points. According to Team Rankings, they are averaging only 16 points per game this season and are ranked 30th in the league. Furthermore, in other offensive measures such as yards per game, yards per play, and third-down conversion rate, they are ranked 25th or lower.
The Raiders also lead the league in passing interceptions with 12, three more than the second-place Cleveland Browns, who have had quarterback difficulties as well. The Raiders threw three interceptions in their most recent game against the Bears, one of which resulted in a pick-six. They have only scored 12 points in the last two weeks.
To make matters worse, the Raiders allowed 30 points to the Bears, who featured their own backup quarterback, a high school zero-star recruit, and an undrafted player. The backup quarterback only passed for 162 yards with one score and no picks.
The Raiders have had a string of bad luck, particularly with their head coaching appointments. If owner Mark Davis fires McDaniels in the middle of the season or later, the Raiders will be looking for their sixth head coach since 2012. However, this club has been outscored 161-112 by its opponents this season. McDaniels is an offensive head coach, and regardless of terrible luck, those performances just will not suffice for a franchise that has long sought a path out of mediocrity.
The loss to the Bears was humiliating and may have led to McDaniels’ dismissal. However, the Raiders now face the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football in Motor City, who are coming off a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7. If McDaniels survives that, expect choices to be made after the following week’s game against the New York Giants, especially if they lose. The only question is whether Davis would want to fire McDaniels in the middle of the season. He may have little choice if the team has completely revolted against their head coach by then.
