There are 8 first-year head coaches in NFL 2019. Unless your name is Matt LaFleur, you have to be wondering what it takes to win in the league. If you remove the Green Bay head coach’s 3-0 record, the other 7 first-year head coaches are a putrid 2-18-1 combined.
8a. Brian Flores, Dolphins
We’ll call it a dead heat to this point. Brian Flores and the Dolphins are simply horrendous. You know you are awful when a 25-point loss is the best thing about your season, which has you on the short end of 133-17 thus far. The other three teams in the AFC East have allowed 134 points, collectively. Actually, the best thing of this season comes up the week after playing host to the Chargers. The Dolphins get their bye!
8b. Adam Gase, Jets
Struggling along with Miami is its former coach Adam Gase, who helms the New York Jets. Gang Green has not scored an offensive TD since Week 1. The pair of scores against New England Sunday were courtesy of the defense. The Jets have been outscored 70-17 since taking a 16-0 lead on Buffalo in the opener. If you take away the fumble recovery TD and Pick-Six Sunday, you are looking at 70-3. Oof!
6. Zac Taylor, Bengals
Cincy is off to an 0-3 start. However, there is hope. The Bengals rallied at Buffalo to take a 17-14 lead after falling behind 14-0. Sure, Buffalo came back for the victory but there was a spark shown by Cincy. And, they get a trip to Pittsburgh next Monday. Yep, the 0-3 Bengals face the 0-3 Steelers on MNF. Can Taylor get his first victory by ending Pittsburgh’s 8-game winning streak against Cincy?
5. Vic Fangio
Denver isn’t awful. It simply isn’t good. That’s how 0-3 happens, including the brutal last-second lost to the Chicago Bears. The Jaguars come to the Mile High City this week off the dominant defensive showing against Tennessee. It would not be shocking if Vic Fangio gets his first win of the season here.
4. Freddie Kitchens
Freddie Kitchens is 1-2 and dropping. Baker Mayfield looks like the sophomore jinx has struck and the team is playing like it believed the headlines rather than having to live up to the hype. This Sunday won’t be an easy way to .500 either, as the Browns travel to Baltimore for an AFC North battle. Would say Gregg Williams is thinking “I told you so,” but the Cleveland interim head coach can’t be savoring Cleveland’s slow start because he is the DC of the Jets.
3. Kliff Kingsbury
The heralded Air Raid and hype of Heisman winner Kyler Murray has led to an 0-2-1 start and the only reason it isn’t 0-3 is the Cardinals staged a wild comeback to tie the Lions. They were lit by Kyle Allen and the Panthers Sunday. It would be nice to think this is gonna take some time but one has to remember Kliff Kingsbury comes from Texas Tech, where he had a sub-.500 career mark.
2. Bruce Arians
The good news is Bruce Arians seems to have Jameis Winston back on track. The Heisman winner from Florida State threw 3 TD passes to Mike Evans in the first half Sunday. However, there was this second-half collapse against the Giants and Daniel Jones, who was making his first NFL start. Not good but it also shows you the Bucs were 30 minutes from being 2-1. Instead, they 30 poor minutes and are 1-2.
1. Matt LaFleur
Talk about assets. Not only does Matt LaFleur have an offense guided by Aaron Rodgers, he also has a stellar defense, one of the best in the league. That simplifies how the Packers are 3-0 and LaFleur is the lone first-year coach off to a flying start.
