NFL Power Rankings: Ranking the head coaches still battling for the Super Bowl

It’s often said that the NFL is a player’s league. Which is something we agree with for the most part, as it’s impossible to win without having elite players on your roster. However, coaching matters, especially at this stage of the season where the only teams remaining are among the elite. Let’s take a look at how we rank each head coach left in the NFL playoffs!

For the record, we think Dan Quinn is an excellent coach who has done an amazing job turning around Washington in just one season. He has taken a roster that mostly lacks elite talent to the divisional round in his first year in charge with a rookie quarterback. Unfortunately, someone has to be eight on our rankings, and it’s Quinn.

Quinn is never afraid of taking an aggressive approach, which comes with its risks, but players appreciate the trust you show when you back them. He also has been able to get his players to buy in into year one, which is difficult and often takes even the best coaches multiple seasons. Washington fans should be very excited about the future, and we even think they have a chance on Sunday!

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McDermott has done a great job since taking over in Buffalo, but at some stage, he and his team need to get over the hump and at least make a Super Bowl. We understand this isn’t exactly how it works, but McDermott is a defensive coach whose defense is only ranked 13th in EPA/Play, per SumerSports, and is carried by Josh Allen and the offense (ranked second).

McDermott has has been in charge of the Bills since 2017 and has taken the team from one of the NFL’s bottom feeders to a juggernaut. There is a certainly something to be said for that, and it is hard to quantify from the outside, but impossible to deny.

DeMeco Ryans is another exceptional coach who has turned around a struggling franchise. Having been brought in ahead of the 2023 season, Ryans immediately shifted the culture alongside rookie phenom C.J. Stroud. 2024 wasn’t quite as smooth sailing, but now they have a shot at the AFC Championship game if they can beat the Chiefs in KC.

Ryans is among the best defensive minds in football, which was showcased last weekend with his unit picking off Justin Herbert four times. As Ralph Vacchiano writes for Fox Sports, “He's a strong defensive tactician and knows how to put his players in position for success,” which is all you can ask for from a good coach.

We are Sirianni-truthers, we’ll be the first to admit to that. It’s easy to see the sometimes unedifying sideline antics and dismiss him as a good-ball, but in his time as the Eagles HC, he is 48-20 and has reached the post-season every year with a Super Bowl appearance. He is in charge of an uber-talented team, but not everyone can do what he’s done.

His connection to the players and his emotional intelligence are through the roof, as a recent Tim McManus story for ESPN points out. Sirianni reportedly will leave handwritten notes for players in their lockers ahead of big games, something the players have appreciated. The Eagles have a real shot to make their second Super Bowl in three years, in no small part due to Sirianni.

Dan Campbell epitomizes everything that’s good about the NFL. His aggressive nature and willingness to back his players in big moments is maybe second to none. It’s just difficult to have him higher on the list, given the Lions haven’t reached a Super Bowl during his tenure (yet). He has made the Lions a feared opponent, which hasn’t been true for a very long time.

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Campbell has a few obvious strengths. Most notably, in our opinion, is his ability to hire well. Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson is arguably the best coordinator pairing in the NFL. Secondly, Campbell is never afraid of taking the most aggressive path. Whether that’s going for it on fourth down consistently, fake punts or trick plays, he encourages all of it, to good effect.

Our only knock on Harbaugh is that we feel he could have had more success in recent times with how good Lamar Jackson is. However, that’s being a little picky given how good he has been in charge of the Ravens. Per Fox Sports, he has recorded at least 10 wins in six of his last seven years in charge. Consistency.

A little like Dan Campbell and Nick Sirianni, Harbaugh is a ‘CEO Coach’ where he is in charge of everything, but delegates most of the direct responsibilities to his coordinators. The hiring of Todd Monken to run the offense was smart and has led to Lamar Jackson’s best seasons, while replacing Mike Macdonald with Zach Orr has proven to be an inspired choice down the stretch.

It’s fair to say that this Los Angeles Rams team is not the most talented roster in the NFL, or especially close. However, Sean McVay utilizes every tool at his disposal to consistently keep them in the playoffs. His offensive system is one of the best in the NFL and gets the best out of its two superstars in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.

The obvious strength is how hard to stop his offensive system is. He is consistently able to scheme open his receivers, even when you know that it’s more than likely the play is designed to go to one of two players. It’s worth remembering McVay was the one who pushed for the Rams to draft Nacua in the first place.

Reid is in the conversation for greatest coach in NFL history, let alone the current playoffs. He is currently at 299 wins as a head coach, per Pro Football Network, which is good for fourth all-time. He also has three Super Bowl wins and a couple of other appearances to his name. We think he has a good chance to add another this season.

Like McVay, Reid is one of the better offensive minds in football, even if this season hasn’t been one of offensive domination. His players also seem to love him, which helps too. His record stands above anyone else currently in the NFL, and ultimately says more than we ever can.

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