There are eight teams remaining in the 2025 NFL Playoffs, and there are a ton of very good, perhaps elite head coaches left, and that isn't a coincidence. On a broader scale, we have seen a ton of head coaches getting fired or even stepping down this cycle.
It's really been a season to remember already, and the Divisional Round has not even begun yet. As of now, the playoffs appear to be wide open, as all eight teams truly has a case to win this upcoming weekend. Most of the Wild Card games were decided by one score, and this might end up being the case in the next round.
Much of which teams win will come down to which teams have the better head coach, as that's just how it works in the NFL - the head coach and the quarterback are the two most important factors in whether a team wins or loses in a given week, especially in the playoffs. Let's power rank the eight remaining head coaches approaching the Divisional Round.
Ranking the eight remaining head coaches in the 2025 NFL Playoffs
8. Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills
Sean McDermott is a good head coach, but I am not sure he's a great one. Sure, the Buffalo Bills get to the playoffs ever year at this point, but they have continually fallen short in the playoffs year after year. With the AFC playoffs not having the Kansas City Chiefs, many have said that this is the year for the Buffalo Bills to get over the hump.
And that could very well be the case, but we have seen the Bills lose some heartbreaking playoff games over the years. McDermott knows what he's doing and is probably a top-10 coach in this league, but there comes a time where this team has to make a deeper push in the playoffs, and until we see that, McDermott may not be thought of as an elite coach.
7. Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears hit it out of the park with the Ben Johnson hire, and I feel like he should be ranked higher, but it's kind of hard for me to rank him higher than this, as this is just year one for Johnson, so while he is turning into one of the best coaches in the NFL, he is not nearly as proven as some of these other coaches.
The Chicago Bears went 11-6 in the regular season and won the NFC North in a shocking development. The offense took a massive step forward, and Caleb Williams did play a lot better. The thing with year one head coaches is that you can tell pretty early on if the coach has 'it' or not, and Johnson absolutely does have it.
This bodes very well for the future of the Bears - Chicago will need to bring in some defensive line and secondary help in the offseason, but the offense is pretty much set. The Bears are hosting the Los Angele Rams in the Divisional Round and could end up with two more home playoff games depending on how things shake out.
Johnson and the Bears won't win the Super Bowl this year, but they are trending in that direction.
6. DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
DeMeco Ryans has won double-digit regular season games in all three of his seasons as the Houston Texans head coach, and he's advanced into the Divisional Round in all three seasons as well. Ryans is emerging as one of the best head coaches in the NFL, as the Texans blew out the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round.
Ryans had a very successful NFL career, and his previous playing days definitely help mold him into the coach he is now. It's hard to imagine that Ryans doesn't continue to win a ton of games with the Texans as the years roll on.
Ryans is no. 6 in our rankings.
5. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
Sean Payton is doing a great job with the Denver Broncos and took a team that was among the most dysfunctional in the NFL following the 2022 NFL Season into one of the most well-run organizations in sports in year three. Denver actually began the Payton tenure 1-5 back in 2023, but it's been winning on top of winning since then.
The main success story for the Denver Broncos in the Sean Payton era has been releasing Russell Wilson and drafting Bo Nix - both moves were the right ones, as the Broncos are just two home wins away from a trip to Super Bowl LX.
Last year, Denver won 10 games and ended up being the last team in the AFC to clinch a playoff spot. This year, Denver was the first team to clinch and obviously earned the top seed, Payton's old-school, Bill Parcells-ian coaching style is precisely what the Denver Broncos franchise needed. He's going to get some Coach of the Year votes.
4. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay will likely end his NFL coaching career as a Hall of Famer. He's fourth in our power rankings after another very good job with the Los Angeles Rams. McVay and the Rams endured two late-season losses that ended up being a primary reason why they were not able to grab the first seed in the NFC playoffs.
However, the Rams took down the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card Round and will hate a date with the Chicago Bears in the Divisional Round. The Rams should be able to win that game, as McVay and his squad are ahead of Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears.
Ever since Sean McVay got hired back in 2017, many NFL teams have tried to copy LA - hiring a young, offensive-minded coach. It's worked out in many instances, but in others, it's been a disaster. McVay is a steady, proven, and winning head coach.
3. Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks
Mike MacDonald has won double-digit games in each of his first two seasons as the Seattle Seahawks head coach. The Seahawks earned the top seed in the NFC this year thanks to a stellar season, and Macdonald's fingerprints are all over this operation. The Seahawks are a fast, explosive team with a stacked defense and a high-powered offense, and you'd have to think that Macdonald had a bit of say in the personnel.
While Seattle might not get good enough play from Sam Darnold to win a Super Bowl this year, Macdonald himself is good enough to lead a team to a title.
2. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan willing this San Francisco 49ers team into the Divisional Round is honestly a miracle, as this team has once again suffered a ton of injuries, but it really seems like it doesn't matter which players are on the field - Shanahan might not win the Coach of the Year award, but he should get a ton of votes.
The 49ers are now in Seattle to face the Seahawks, and while their season is likely coming to an end in the Divisional Round, the coaching job done by him and his staff cannot be overstated. Shanahan is no. 2 in our head coach power rankings.
1. Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots
Mike Vrabel has done a masterful job with the New England Patriots and is our top-ranked head coach approaching Divisional Round weekend. The Patriots legitimately went from one of the worst to one of the best teams in the NFL in one season.
It's a testament to how good of a job Vrabel has done, and the Patriots did silence a lot of doubters by beating a good team in the Los Angeles Chargers in the playoffs. The Pats will host the Houston Texans in the next round, and once again, New England will go into that game with a clear coaching advantage.
It's hard to find a flaw in the job Vrabel has done this year.