There have been some masterful head coaching jobs this season, but others have not been as good. Two head coaches have been fired this season, as Brian Callahan and Brian Daboll are gone and are the first in-season firings this year.
In-season firings happen nearly every single season, so seeing Callahan and Daboll be let go was not a shock. It'll be interesting to see if any other head coaches end up with the same fate. We're going to flip this, though, to the more positive side of things.
There are surely a handful of head coaches who have done the best job this year, and now that Week 10 is in the books, we've outlined our latest head coach power rankings, and our basis for the rankings is simple: we are only looking at this year's coaching job - the past or any sort of 'legacy' does not come into play here.
Power ranking head coaches in the NFL after a wild Week 10
9. Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles
Nick Sirianni is again off to a great start as the Eagles' head coach in 2025. Philly is now 7-2 on the season and won a slugfest with the Green Bay Packers on MNF. It was not pretty, but Sirianni always has his team ready to go and is able to win in multiple fashions. Philly is again in good position to win the division.
8. Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers
Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers are now 7-3 on the season after a great win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on SNF. The injuries have been tough to deal with, but the Bolts are still in a good position to potentially win the AFC West this year. They won their first three divisional matchups and honestly just have to hope for the Denver Broncos to slip a bit.
7. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
Despite all the injuries they've dealt with, the San Francisco 49ers are 6-4 and have already hit their win total from the 2024 NFL Season. Shanahan and the Niners are by no means a great team at this point, but getting to this point just proves how well-run and well-coached this operation is overall.
Heck, Shanahan has been without his starting QB for a bulk of the season.
6. Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears
Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears are now 6-3 on the season, and it's clear that this team has made the right move. The offense is already a lot better than it was, and second-year QB Caleb Williams seems way more comfortable overall.
He's getting sacked a lot less, and while he's not really lit it up this year, he's also been a huge reason why the Bears are 6-3. Johnson was hired away by the Detroit Lions, and his early-season success proves that he's capable of being a coach in this league.
Early on, a first-year head coach either has it or does not. Someone who never really got his feet under him, for example, was Nathaniel Hackett with the Denver Broncos back in 2022. It's clear that Ben Johnson can coach.
5. Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks
Mike Macdonald might have the most complete team in the NFL on his hands in the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle is 7-2 on the season and could not only win the NFC West, but make a deep playoff run. This team doesn't really have a glaring weakness, as the defense is aggressive, and the offense can throw the ball all over the place.
Macdonald was a home-run hire for Seattle, period. He's no. 5 in our rankings and is on pace for two winning seasons in two years as a head coach in the NFL.
4. Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos were 5-5 at this point in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Now at 8-2, it's clear that Denver has made a sizeable jump. They're first in the AFC West and might have the most complete squad in the AFC. Payton has gradually improved this team, and them having the best record in the NFL is absolutely something to take note of. He's no. 4 in our power rankings, as Denver has a legit shot at the division title this year.
3. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay is up to his old antics again. The Los Angeles Rams are 7-2 and just blew out the San Francisco 49ers. We're also seeing QB Matthew Stafford play the best football of his career, and he honestly might be the MVP at this point.
McVay is going to end up in the Hall of Fame one day - he's an elite mind and is already a Super Bowl champion. The Rams never really shoot themselves in the foot or make silly mistakes. It's a testament to how good of a coach McVay is, and the Rams recent NFL Drafts have been outstanding.
McVay surely has a huge say in personnel as well, so his hands are all over this excellent franchise.
2. Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots
The New England Patriots went from one of the worst to one of the best teams in the NFL in less than a calendar year. Mike Vrabel is on his second head coaching stint and back with the Patriots, as he's obviously a former player for the franchise.
Vrabel was always a good head coach, and his rocky ending to his tenure with the Tennessee Titans was due to the Titans, not Vrabel's ability to coach. Sitting at 8-2, the Patriots seem to be angling toward the AFC East title, which would guaratee them at least one home playoff game.
Mike Vrabel is no. 2 in our power rankings, but not the top.
1. Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
Shane Steichen has done an excellent job with the Indianapolis Colts this year. Daniel Jones looks like a totally different quarterback, and this offense is prime-Peyton Manning era good. The Colts do just about everything at a high level.
They also might have the MVP as well in Jonathan Taylor, who seems to have a legitimate shot at being the first non-QB to win the award since 2012. Sure, the Colts were never a disaster in Steichen's first two seasons, but this team still has done a total 180 and can likely hang with any team in the NFL.