NFL Hot Seat Week 14

As the NFL regular season winds down, the playoff picture and draft order are starting to take shape. Many teams have been out of this picture for a longer period of time. However, some are just now slipping away with just a few games remaining.

As new cracks begin to emerge, new players and coaches find themselves on the hot seat this week. Here are some of our picks after Week 14:

Ian’s Pick: Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons were considered to be playoff contenders after week 9 when they stood at 6-3 and their quarterback Kirk Cousins was on pace for a career year.

After week 14, Atlanta is now 6-7 and losers of 4 straight games. Cousins has thrown 0 touchdowns and 8 interceptions during the skid while rookie Michael Penix Jr., the 8th overall pick in this past NFL draft, awaits his opportunity to take the reins of the Falcons offense.

This past offseason Cousins was one of the most sought after free agents in the NFL after 6 seasons as the signal caller for the Minnesota Vikings. He made 3 Pro Bowls with the Vikings, and finished his tenure in Minneapolis with a 67.9% completion rate, 23,265 passing yards, 171 touchdowns and 55 interceptions.

Coming off of a torn achillies, the 36-year-old field general was handed a lucrative 4 year, $180 million contract, with $100 million guaranteed. Many thought that this was too much money for a quarterback of Cousins’ age, especially coming off of a major season-ending injury.

The Falcons made the call to draft University of Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. with their first round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which confused people given the contract they rewarded Cousins and raised eyebrows over how long he would really last as the starter in Atlanta.

The plan was to have Penix Jr. sit behind Cousins and learn, but now the Falcons’ season is hanging in the balance with their $180 million dollar man struggling mightily. If Cousins continues to falter the way he has been, it won’t be long until head coach Raheem Morris is forced into giving Penix Jr. the nod.

Alex’s Pick: Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans

This isn’t Will Levis’ first time appearing on the hot seat, and his performance last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars may have the quarterback at rock bottom. The Jaguars came into their matchup with Tennessee holding a 2-10 record, a backup quarterback, and the worst ranked total defense in football.

The Jaguars won. On top of this, they held Levis and the Titans offense to just six points. Levis only threw for 168 yards against the 31st-ranked passing defense in the NFL.

Levis, realistically, is not the long-term solution for Tennessee. The Titans are on pace to receive a top five pick in the draft and will likely select a quarterback. Therefore, the clock is ticking and time may already be up.

Levis has the fifth most turnovers in the NFL with 13, a testament to his poor decision making. There have been several instances this year where Levis has turned the ball over in an inconceivable manner.

As a team, the Titans defense is actually second in how many yards per game they allow. Yet somehow the team is only 3-10. While they have played several good teams this season, losing to Jacksonville last week has Tennessee at a new low as they are now in last place in the AFC South.

While the offense around him isn’t elite, the Titans did spend some money this offseason to improve Levis’ weapons. Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley both signed multi-year deals with the team. However, Levis hasn’t been able to utilize these players to the fullest so far. The Titans will have to move on from him to help build for the future.

Dominick’s Pick: Lou Anarumo, Defensive Coordinator, Cincinnati Bengals

Even though Zac Taylor, who has appeared on our “hot seat” segment more times than I can count this season, has been calling the plays on defense for Cincinnati since 2019, Lou Anarumo, the defensive coordinator for the team who is in his sixth season in Cincy, should not feel as though his job is safe.

It’s been no secret this year that the defense of the Bengals has been the reason they’ve been losing games. With an offense that features the likes of the incredible Ja’Marr Chase and his quarterback, Joe Burrow, there is no excuse as for why this team is 5-8 and third in the AFC North.

They’re also, perhaps most notably, just 1-5 at home.

Trey Hendrickson, Germaine Pratt, Logan Wilson and Geno Stone are perhaps the lone bright spots on the defensive side. However, the unit as a whole has allowed 360 points this season. That mark is good for 29th out of all 32 NFL teams, at an average of just under a whopping 30 points per game allowed.

At some point, the 58-year-old defensive coordinator has to take the blame for the defense’s blatant shortcomings.

Ian Rothenberg is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email imr5327@psu.edu

Dominick Pizzelanti is a second-year dual majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact him, email dqp5565@psu.edu.

Alex Harkins is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email arh6278@psu.edu.