The NFL International Series in London hasn’t been kind to coaches on the hot seat. In each of the last two years, one of the head coaches who led his team into Wembley Stadium got fired immediately after he had crossed back over the Atlantic.
Which NFL coach will get fired after playing a game in London this season?
In each of the last two years, head coaches have been fired after leading their teams across the Atlantic.


In 2014, the Oakland Raiders canned Dennis Allen following their 38-14 loss to the Miami Dolphins, which dropped them to 0-4 on the season. Rumors about Allen’s firing were swirling at the time, as an AP reporter tweeted and deleted a report about the Raiders dropping the ax on Allen one day before it happened.
With less than three full seasons in Oakland, owner Mark Davis didn’t give Allen much of a chance to right the ship. But posting an abysmal 8-28 record sealed his fate.
Last year, the Miami Dolphins dismissed Joe Philbin following a disenchanting 27-14 loss to the New York Jets in Week 4. The Dolphins never posted a winning record in four seasons under him.
This year, with three games on tap to take place in the U.K., the chances seem high for this pattern to continue. That’s especially the case this week, with the 1-2 Indianapolis Colts set to take on the 0-3 Jacksonville Jaguars.
Firing Index
Colts vs. Jaguars (Sunday, Oct. 2)
Despite being on the hot seat for the bulk of last season, the Colts opted to re-sign Chuck Pagano to a four-year contract extension this winter. They’re off to a slow start, but there’s cause for optimism, because Andrew Luck looks like an elite quarterback once again.
The 2012 No. 1 overall pick owns a 93.2 QB rating and has led the Colts on two late-game touchdown drives. The defense couldn’t hold on against the Detroit Lions in the season opener, but they were able to walk away with a win against San Diego last week.
Luck has also torched the Jaguars throughout his career. In six games against Jacksonville, he’s 5-1 and has thrown for 1,702 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions.
That means the Colts are in a strong position to even up their record, which is bad news for the Jaguars and embattled head coach Gus Bradley. After an offseason spending spree that saw them bring in veterans Malik Jackson, Prince Amukamara and Tashaun Gipson, as well as select Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack in the first two rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft, Jacksonville is off to a winless start this season. Perhaps most alarmingly, third-year quarterback Blake Bortles has regressed as well.
Though owner Shad Khan hasn’t spoken publicly about Bradley’s possible dismissal, one must assume it’s imminent if the losing continues. After all, Bradley is 12-39 in four seasons with the Jaguars and owns the second-worst winning percentage among all NFL coaches with at least 50 games under their belt. His track record doesn’t indicate a turnaround is on the horizon.
Firing chances: Pagano 1/10 | Bradley 8/10
Giants vs. Rams (Sunday, Oct. 23)
For the first time in 12 seasons, the New York Giants made a coaching change last year. They parted ways with Tom Coughlin and promoted offensive coordinator Bob McAdoo, reportedly thanks to some lobbying from Eli Manning.
The Giants are currently 2-1, and barring a midseason collapse will probably be in the playoff race come Week 7. With his honeymoon period still purportedly underway, McAdoo’s job couldn’t be any safer.
The real question here, of course, is Jeff Fisher. The Los Angeles Rams are 2-1, but just scored their first touchdown of the season last week. With Case Keenum still at quarterback instead of No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, the immediate future doesn’t look bright for the Rams.
Fisher’s miraculous ability to keep his job despite a string of sub-.500 finishes has become a running joke in NFL circles. The Rams have a 29-37-1 record during his five seasons at the helm, but yet, they’re reportedly working on a three-year contract extension with Fisher.
If any other coach were in Fisher’s position, he would’ve been a candidate to get fired years ago — never mind this season. But given his recent history, one has to expect he’ll somehow hold onto his job.
Firing chances: McAdoo 0/10 | Fisher 7/9 3/10
Washington vs. Bengals (Sunday, Oct. 30)
Washington couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start this season. Following the team’s Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, there were reports that players were “grumbling” about quarterback Kirk Cousins in the locker room and clamoring for backup Colt McCoy to take the reins. Head coach Jay Gruden also came under scrutiny for his use of cornerback Josh Norman, and defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois criticized him for his lack of in-game adjustments.
But after a win over the Giants, Washington appears back on track — for now. Owner Daniel Snyder isn’t known for his patience, so it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see the pressure applied to Gruden if Washington can’t climb above .500 at the midway point.
Marvin Lewis is seemingly on the perpetual hot seat in Cincinnati, but keeps getting rewarded with contract extensions. But following a meltdown in the Wild Card Round against Pittsburgh last season, which kept the Bengals’ playoff winless streak under Lewis alive, the second-longest tenured coach in the league could be running out of chances.
Given Cincinnati’s track record, it’s difficult to see Lewis getting fired in the middle of a season. But everybody runs out of rope eventually, and if the 2-2 Bengals fall further behind in the AFC North, there’s a chance Lewis may get shown the door.
Firing chances: Gruden 4/10 | Lewis 3/10











