head coaches in the NFC West
By: Jake Rajala
The NFC West has very intelligent head coaches. They have all found success as coordinators, which led them all to get honored with a head coaching badge. With that said, I’m going to do my absolute best to rank these figures. Let’s begin.
4. Jonathan Gannon
I really don’t love the roller coaster that Kyler Murray has been on. I sadly expect Gannon and Murray to go out swinging together. Gannon shouldn’t only have a quality showcase from Kyler Murray, but his defense should be superb. His defense ranked 15th in PPG allowed. They were also 20th in takeaways, which is unacceptable. I’d like to see his defense raise its game, especially with him being a defensive minded coach.
3. Mike Macdonald
Mike Macdonald holds the slight edge over Jonathan Gannon. He went 10-7 last season, which was better than Gannon’s record (8-9). MacDonald’s defense ranked first in PPG allowed and first in takeaways in Baltimore in 2023. His defense ranked 11th in points allowed last season. He should rise to a Top-8 defense with new faces, such as Demarcus Lawrence. It can be hard for Mike and Coach Gannon with them facing McVay and Shanahan twice each in the regular season.
2. Sean McVay
Sean McVay is one of the most creative head coaches in the league. He wakes up at 4 am to get ahead of his competition. Of course, he won a Super Bowl. It has been harder to reach those heights with Aaron Donald retired. If Puka and Tae can stay healthy, Stafford should put up career numbers. I’d like to see McVay not retire soon.
1. Kyle Shanahan
Shanny is 10-5 against Sean McVay. He hasn’t won a Super Bowl, but he has two NFC Championships. Shanny’s offense has ranked in the Top-5 in each of the past three seasons in YPG. Shanny has waited to have a quality QB, versus an injury-prone, average QB. Brock Purdy is the special one, while Jimmy G has proven to not even be a QB1.
The NFC West has a pair of future Hall of Fame coaches in my opinion. I also believe that MacDonald has something brewing well for him. He had a winning record last season, and he has an upgrade at QB this season and Cooper Kupp, too.
Leave a Reply