Niner Noise
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Which NFL Head Coaches Are on the Hot Seat Down the Stretch?

By Peter Panacy

Nov 13, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly looks on during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly looks on during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 30, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) talk during a stoppage in play against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Packers 33-32. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) talk during a stoppage in play against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Packers 33-32. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers

No, Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy can’t R-E-L-A-X right now. His team is 4-6 right now and watching its once unbreakable hold on the NFC North slip away.

The 11-year McCarthy-Packers marriage has been almost exclusively a bountiful one. McCarthy is working with a future Hall of Fame quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, and has seen his team in the postseason in all but two of his seasons at the helm.

And yet the Packers are losing in ways one thought unthinkable prior to 2016.

Tack on Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk’s report of dissension between Rodgers and McCarthy from earlier this month, and one might understand the reason why McCarthy is here.

Sure, Rodgers denied any allegations of a problem. But the current Packers record easily leads us to believe the smoke-and-fire argument.

Why He Stays

Again, this could be one bad season. The offense isn’t the problem in Green Bay. The Packers are currently ranked 27th, defensively, despite a strong ability to stop the run. How much of that falls on McCarthy?

Probably not much. And continuity with one of the greatest QBs to play the game only makes sense.

More from Niner Noise

Why He Goes

Guess who would win a locker-room battle between Rodgers and McCarthy, if there indeed is one.

Next: Why Chip Kelly Should Remain as 49ers Head Coach in 2017

Yeah, the quarterback wins out here. He would 100 percent of the time. Seasons like these can point out the flaws in even the best head coaches. And while adversity is part of the NFL landscape, the McCarthy finger-pointing doesn’t bode well heading towards an uncertain 2017.