NFC Head Coach Power Rankings - 2024 NFL Season

Justin Carter ranks the NFC head coaches heading into 2024. Who are the top head coaches in the NFC? Which NFC teams have elite head coaches and which are in need of an upgrade?

The head coaching carousel has finished spinning, with a handful of new faces taking over teams around the NFL. In the NFC, four new names will patrol the sidelines in 2024.

All of these various coaches have strengths and weaknesses. It can be fun to think about how the coaches compare to each other.

Let's look at how every NFC head coach stacks up for the 2024 season.

1. Kyle Shanahan - San Francisco 49ers

Fresh off taking the 49ers to their second Super Bowl appearance in the past five seasons, Kyle Shanahan takes the No. 1 spot in the NFC coaching power rankings. He's led the Niners to double-digit wins in four of the past five seasons and has shown that his offensive scheme can succeed no matter what the personnel is, like when he won four playoff games in the past two seasons with 2022 Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy at quarterback.

2. Sean McVay - Los Angeles Rams

These top-two spots here are fairly interchangeable. Sean McVay has also led the Rams to two Super Bowl appearances, but he's managed to win one, unlike Shanahan. The only reason I have McVay one spot lower is that he hasn't necessarily shown as much ability to adapt when dealing with injuries, and he hasn't won a playoff game since that Super Bowl run. Still, he's an elite offensive mind.

#Rams HC Sean McVay is not going to the #NFL Scouting Combine this year.

He hasn't been to the Combine since 2020. pic.twitter.com/MAvLdUp0sk

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 23, 2024

3. Dan Campbell - Detroit Lions

After going 3-13-1 in his first season as the head coach of the Lions, Dan Campbell turned things around fast. The team improved to 9-8 in 2022 and then to 12-5 last season. Campbell might not be an "Xs and Os" guy like Shanahan and McVay, but he knows how to instill a winning culture. He took the Lions to the NFC Championship Game this past season.

4. Matt LaFleur - Green Bay Packers

One big question about Matt LaFleur was if he could win without Aaron Rodgers. He answered that in 2023. With Jordan Love taking over under the center, the Packers went 9-8 and made it to the second round of the playoffs. LaFleur and this Green Bay squad should be even better next season with an extra year of experience for Love.

5. Nick Sirianni - Philadelphia Eagles

One year ago, Nick Sirianni could have been near the top of this list, but he dropped a few spots after the Eagles struggled down the stretch in 2023. Sirianni is 34-17 in the regular season but just 2-3 in the playoffs, with both wins coming in the 2022 season when the team made a run to the Super Bowl.

6. Mike McCarthy - Dallas Cowboys

People like to talk down on Mike McCarthy for some things, like clock management and the fact he only advanced to one Super Bowl in Green Bay. Still, he's 167-102-2 in 17 seasons as an NFL head coach, and he's one of the top offensive minds of the 2000s. The limitations keep him out of the top five, but McCarthy's still a good coach.

7. Todd Bowles - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Is this too high for a guy with a 43-58 record as an NFL head coach? Maybe, but Bowles just took a Baker Mayfield-led Buccaneers team to the second round of the playoffs. His Jets years weren't great, but it's hard to hold that against him because...well, no one wins in New York. Bowles is a great leader and a really good defensive mind.

Coach is covering all of your favorite @Buccaneers:

Head Coach Todd Bowles on Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Calijah Kancey, and YaYa Diaby #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/ybjdj8oUeR

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) February 27, 2024

8. Kevin O'Connell - Minnesota Vikings

Kevin O'Connell has been the Vikings' head coach for two seasons. In the first one, he went 13-4. In the second, his team was just 7-10. The difference was a healthy Kirk Cousins was there for that first season, while the team dealt with a Cousins injury in 2023. O'Connell's in an in-between spot here -- we don't know how good he can be as a coach, but we have a decent idea that he's in the top half of NFC coaches.

9. Dan Quinn - Washington Commanders

Dan Quinn spent parts of six seasons as the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons, going 43-42 during that time. He was fired in 2020 after a 0-5 start. After leaving Atlanta, he became one of the NFL's best defensive coordinators in Dallas before earning another shot at being an NFL head coach with the Commanders. It will be tough to win in D.C., but Quinn has some coaching chops. Don't count him out.

10. Brian Daboll - New York Giants

In 2022, Brian Daboll was the NFL Coach of the Year after leading the Giants to a 9-7-1 record and a playoff appearance. The former OC for the Bills had Daniel Jones looking like a high-end NFL quarterback. Unfortunately, a Jones injury in 2023 led the Giants to a 6-11 record, knocking down Daboll's stock. He's a great offensive mind, but he's also just 15-18-1 in two seasons as a head coach.

11. Raheem Morris - Atlanta Falcons

Raheem Morris coached for four NFL seasons and scored more than four wins just once. The 2010 season was impressive, where he took the Buccaneers to a 10-6 record. Morris rehabilitated his coaching career over the last few seasons as the DC for the Rams, so hopes are high that he can be successful in this stint with the Falcons.

12. Matt Eberflus - Chicago Bears

2024 will be a prove-it year for Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who is just 10-24 in two seasons in the Windy City. He's a great defensive mind, but none of that will matter if the Bears can't start to win some games. The expected addition of Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick will be a make-or-break move for Eberflus.

Matt Eberflus has that “I’m about to draft a generational QB” glow. pic.twitter.com/4GM3Kcm95A

— Bryan Perez (@BryanPerezNFL) February 23, 2024

13. Mike Macdonald - Seattle Seahawks

Mike Macdonald's spent his entire NFL career in the Ravens organization, progressing from an intern in 2014 to the defensive coordinator for the last two seasons. This is his first head-coaching stop, so there's plenty of mystery about how Macdonald will do, but he has a strong pedigree. Macdonald has the highest floor among head coaches hired this year without previous head- coaching experience.

14. Jonathan Gannon - Arizona Cardinals

Jonathan Gannon's first season with the Cardinals saw the team go just 4-13, but the struggles at the quarterback position with Kyler Murray missing much of the season put the team in a bad spot. The former Eagles defensive coordinator has to show he can turn this franchise around in 2024.

Jonathan Gannon has high praise for his QB

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 2, 2024

15. Dennis Allen - New Orleans Saints

Veteran coach Dennis Allen has a lot of respect around NFL circles, but he's got a head-coaching record of just 24-46. In 2023, he led a team to a record above .500 for the first time. Allen's a fine head coach, but he's not someone who seems likely to take a team to the next level.

16. Dave Canales - Carolina Panthers

One big question in this coaching cycle: who would take the Panthers' job? In the end, it was former Bucs OC Dave Canales. Canales has helped Baker Mayfield become a viable NFL starter and will be asked to do the same with Bryce Young. However, the fact he's never even been an NFL coach is worrisome.

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