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Hot seat check: 6 NFL coaches whose jobs are on the line

NFL, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers

Winning Super Bowls buys head coaches a lot of job security in the NFL. However, string together a few disappointing seasons and that security evaporates quickly.

That's the case for a couple of our coaches on the hot seat as we enter Week 11. For other coaches, mediocrity and below-average performance got them in trouble.

Here's a closer look at six head coaches with strong uncertainties surrounding their job security:

Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers

2018 record: 4-5-1 (career: 125-75-2)

FPI chance to make playoffs: 30.7 percent

A playoff berth could change his status -- and McCarthy has turned around seasons before, so that can't be ruled out -- but this could be headed down a different path. That's even the vibe in the locker room, where veteran receiver Randall Cobb said last week, "We've lost games before, but this just feels different." However, it's entirely possible that team president Mark Murphy believes the lack of talent from some poor draft classes in the final years of former GM Ted Thompson is more of the cause. In that case, McCarthy could be back for the final year of his contract, although no coach wants the lame-duck label that's attached to someone without any time left on his deal. But Aaron Rodgers didn't help McCarthy's cause when he made his thinly veiled comments about game plans and playcalling earlier this season. Perhaps Murphy, who oversees McCarthy and new GM Brian Gutekunst, will view that as the impetus for a coaching change. The question then becomes who makes the hire: Murphy, who changed the power structure when he made the GM change, or Gutekunst? -- Rob Demovsky

John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

2018 record: 4-5 (98-71)

FPI chance to make playoffs: 36.8 percent

The Ravens' season is spiraling downward, with three consecutive losses, and Harbaugh was already being asked about his job security at the midway point of the season. "I've never been someone who's worried about keeping a job," Harbaugh said. If Baltimore fails to make the playoffs for a fourth straight season, it's considered a foregone conclusion that Harbaugh's 11-year run is over. It might take more than a postseason berth to save Harbaugh, even, considering the Ravens are 42-43 since winning the Super Bowl in February 2013. Harbaugh might need a win in the playoffs -- he's 10-5 in his career -- to stick around. This isn't a shocking development. Owner Steve Bisciotti said that he considered firing Harbaugh after last season. Given Harbaugh's reputation and Super Bowl ring, he won't be out of a job for long. -- Jamison Hensley

Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys

2018 record: 4-5 (71-58)

FPI chance to make playoffs: 34.6 percent

With the win at Philadelphia, Garrett's seat cooled down, but a loss this week at Atlanta and the heat would go right back up. Garrett is in his eighth full season and has just one playoff win and two playoff appearances. Jerry Jones believes he has a young, talented team on the rise and needs to see results. Perhaps the Eagles win is the start of a run for the Cowboys, but they have not won consecutive games this season. At the start of training camp, Jones said Garrett was not on the hot seat, but that was something he had to say to protect his coach from constant questions. If the Cowboys somehow rebound and remain in playoff contention for the rest of the season, there is no guarantee Garrett will be back for 2019, the final year of his contract. As much as the Cowboys alternate between winning and losing, the seat will always be warm, if not sizzling. -- Todd Archer

Vance Joseph, Denver Broncos

2018 record: 3-6 (8-17)

FPI chance to make playoffs: 1.1 percent

Joseph's teams play hard, they've pushed some of the league's best teams to the limit, they practice well and his players consistently support him. So, the Broncos do everything they're supposed to do but win right now. Players have made mistakes at the worst times, so those mistakes affect the games the most. They also have struggled at times to fit their schemes to their personnel as the turnover in the offensive line and at quarterback have worked against Joseph and haven't been under his control. But in the end, even Joseph knows he will be judged on wins and the Broncos have won just two road games during his tenure.  -- Jeff Legwold

Dirk Koetter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2018 record: 3-6 (17-24)

FPI chance to make playoffs: 0.3 percent

Koetter handed playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Todd Monken this offseason, then took them back in Week 10, when the Bucs lost to the Washington Redskins 16-3. He also fired defensive coordinator Mike Smith, a move many argued that he should have made this offseason. One of the main reasons Koetter was elevated to head coach in the first place was for his work with Jameis Winston during the QB's rookie season in 2015. But Winston has struggled big-time in 2018 -- so much so that he has been replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Glazers have retained just one head coach who had back-to-back losing seasons -- Jon Gruden, who went 7-9 and 5-11 in 2003 and 2004 -- after he delivered the franchise's only Super Bowl. -- Jenna Laine

Todd Bowles, New York Jets

2018 record: 3-7 (25-36)

FPI chance to make playoffs: <0.1 percent

Start a rookie quarterback on a marginally talented offense, sprinkle in some injuries on both sides of the ball and ... voila! You have a four-game losing streak in which the Jets have been outscored 115-43. Sam Darnold is in the throes of his rookie growing pains, and it has had a trickle-down effect on the rest of the offense. At the same time, Bowles must bear a lot of the blame. The team is maddeningly inconsistent on a week-to-week basis, and it struggles on the road (1-4). There's no identity on offense, and the defense is all-or-nothing. The Jets are almost always playing from behind, as they've been outscored in the first quarter 59-24 -- a sign of poor preparation. Look, no one expected the Jets to be a playoff team, but they should be better than 3-7 at their bye week. The team is getting worse, not better -- and that's troubling. -- Rich Cimini

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