The race for NFL Coach of the Year features a hot favorite in the form of the AFC five seed’s Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Who Is Going To Win NFL Coach Of The Year?
Favorite: Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns, 11-6)
Stefanski is the deserved favorite for Coach of the Year, which would make him a two-time winner of the award after taking his first home at the NFL Honors in 2020.
Despite his offense suffering untimely injuries to key players like Deshaun Watson and Nick Chubb whilst going through five starting quarterbacks, the Browns secured the AFC’s five seed with an 11-6 record which included winning four of their last five.
He is set to join 13 other coaches who have won the AP award at least twice since 1957, alongside a number of legendary names such as Bill Belichick and George Halas.
Strong Candidate: DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans, 10-7)
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans led his team to a 10-7 record which ensured the franchise returned to the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2019 – in large part due to rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud’s brilliance.
Ryans is a rookie himself too, earning the role in Houston after five years with the San Francisco 49ers where he served as a defensive quality control coach, inside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator.
At the start of the season, most would have projected the Texans to be a lottery team again – but that was far from the case and Ryan has been able to get a lot of production from a young defense, therefore he deserves his flowers.
Weak Candidate: Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts, 9-8)
The Indianapolis Colts won nine games in a transition year where their brand-new, franchise rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson missed most of the season through injury and former first-team All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor played only ten games.
The rookie head coach had previously worked as the offensive coordinator at the LA Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles before making the switch to Indiana.
He deserves to be in the running after doing a fantastic job with not very much to work with, in a year that included big wins over four playoff teams – the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
