Sure, there are many other players and coaches on a field, but the quarterback and head coach are the two most influential players on a field in most, if not every single football game. It's not a surprise that the turnover at these positions are higher than others, as teams are typically rather aggressive in trying to find a long-term solution at both spots.
There are instances of teams having one or the other position secured, but there aren't many teams that have slam-dunk solutions with both spots. Those teams are almost always the top Super Bowl contenders, and through the halfway point here in 2026, that seems to be the case.
We have taken a unique angle with our NFL Power Rankings, and have ranked the best QB/HC duos in the league. The criteria is that it is only for the 2026 season - prior seasons together do not matter. We're also looking at both team and QB success as our other criteria.
Ranking the best QB/HC duos as Week 9 of the 2026 NFL Season hits
10. Drake Maye/Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots
Drake Maye and the New England Patriots have really begun to turn it around in the past few weeks. Over the last five games, Maye has thrown 14 touchdown passes against two interceptions. Maye has played some MVP-caliber football this year, and Mike Vrabel does deserve a lot of credit for having his team playing well despite the mounting injuries. The Patriots aren't a great team at the moment, but both Maye and Vrabel can be great.
New England sits in a playoff spot right now but are trailing Buffalo in the AFC East. While this team might not be quite as dominant as they were in 2025, we're beginning to see why this team did make the Super Bowl last year.
If Maye can keep this high level of play up, we're going to again be having some intense conversations about the Patriots, and Vrabel has been a good head coach in this league for quite some time.
9. Bo Nix/Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
Getting inside the top-10 in our power rankings, the Denver Broncos duo appears. You might roll your eyes at Bo Nix and Sean Payton appearing on this list, but the Broncos are a juggernaut and are the No. 2 seed in the AFC right now, perhaps also having the most impressive wins this year with victories over Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Kansas City Chiefs, among other teams.
The Broncos tough schedule has been, well, tough thus far, and it is only now getting easier. Nix also has not thrown an interception since Week 3 and has a 96.6 passer rating the last two weeks. Denver is also averaging 29 points per game the past two weeks as well, so this is an offense heating up, and Nix has largely taken care of the football as well.
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