Depending on how fans look at the game of football, there is a lot that goes into considerations as far as rankings and predictions. Within the NFL, there is a lot to factor in week-by-week, year-by-year. NFL fans sometimes focus on the player matchup position by position. With the obvious most important position being the quarterback, that is the number one position that is almost automatically judged.
While the players are the ones that are producing on the field, the coaching staffs are the ones preparing a game plan for the players to perform at the best of their ability. When it comes to the head coaches, they are the main focal point whether a team fails or has success. We are in an era where head coaches are sometimes the scapegoat if their star quarterback is not performing well.
When the Arizona Cardinals take the field next season, they will be across the field from some of the best coaches in the league. With a mixture of offensive and defensive-minded head coaches, the Cardinals will need to hope that Jonathan Gannon and Arizona’s coaching staff has them ready for games every week.
Here are the top five coaches the Cardinals will face in 2024.
5.) Sean McDermott
The Cardinals are heading to Buffalo this year to take on Sean McDermott and the Bills. Since taking over the head coaching duties in 2017 for the Bills, McDermott has turned around the franchise from what it was in the Rex Ryan-era. The Bills have only had one non-playoff appearance under McDermott (Josh Allen’s rookie season) and have won four consecutive AFC East championships. While McDermott does win, he has been noted as a coach that “plays to not lose” rather than playing to win. The Bills are the type of team where once they get a two or more touchdown lead, there is an argument that the Bills don’t play aggressive beyond that.
However, McDermott really proved his worth last season as not was he calling the defense, but the Bills’ defense suffered a numerous amount of injuries throughout the season. From Tre’Davious White (achilles), Matt Milano (leg), DaQuan Jones (torn pec), and many others throughout the season, McDermott kept the Bills’ defense competitive in each game.
Jonathan Gannon and McDermott are both defensive-minded coaches so it would not be surprising for this game to be a defensive game, despite both Josh Allen and Kyler Murray leading their respective offenses.
4.) Kyle Shanahan
Within the NFC West, the San Francisco 49ers are among the most competitive teams week in and week out every season. It all starts with Kyle Shanahan. In four of his last five seasons, Shanahan has led the 49ers to 10+ wins as well as two NFC championships. He has a quarterback in Brock Purdy who can manage a game well with the weapons he has in Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey. On top of that, he has a defense that is top ten overall and led by ferocious edge rusher Nick Bosa and the best linebacker in the game in Fred Warner.
Shanahan has a great system established that makes it tough for opposing defenses to stop. The Cardinals’ defense has had a tough time against the 49ers in recent memory. There is too much firepower on the 49ers’ offense and the Cardinals are going to need to be almost perfect against San Francisco when they face off against them twice this upcoming season.
3.) Matt LaFleur
When the Green Bay Packers hired Matt LaFleur in 2019, it was a questionable hire as he had struggled as the offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans. However, he led the Packers to three consecutive 13-win seasons. He dealt with the Aaron Rodgers drama when the Packers decided to trade up in the 2020 NFL Draft to select Jordan Love. The last two seasons, the Packers are 17-17 but their 9-8 season last year was a success because it was Love’s first season as the starter and he overperformed down the stretch. LaFleur helped lead the Packers to the divisional round after a beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys in the wild card round.
In one of the toughest divisions in football, the Packers have the right coach leading the way in LeFleur. The Packers drafted well this year, giving LaFleur the right pieces to pick up where he left off in 2023. Now that Love is an established franchise quarterback, LaFleur can keep building up his game as well as taking care of any weaknesses on the roster.
2.) Dan Campbell
The most energetic and fiery coach in the NFL is on the Cardinals’ schedule in 2024. Who would have thought that the Detroit Lions would acquire a coach that has united a city and completely changed the culture for the better in a short amount of time. Dan Campbell has made himself a coach that is proud of his team and proud to represent the Lions. He knows how to motivate and get the best in his players.
The Lions had a lot of pressure heading into last season coming off a great end to their 2022 season. Campbell would lead the Lions to a Thursday night season-opener win over the defending Super Bowl champions and would eventually lead Detroit to an NFC North championship. Once the Lions got into the playoffs, they would defeat the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to earn themselves a spot in the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. Had it not been for a second half meltdown, the Lions would have been in the Super Bowl.
Overall, the Lions are here to stay and they have the most passionate coach who creates a buy-in culture for his players and the city. The Cardinals are luckily at home when they face the Lions, but this Detroit team has climbed up near the top of the league. There is no doubt that Arizona will have a challenge against the Lions, just based on how Campbell can motivate a team.
1.) Sean McVay
Much like Dan Campbell, Los Angeles Rams’ head coach Sean McVay has passion for his players and knows what to say at the right time. Since taking over, McVay has changed the culture for the better and he even saved Jared Goff’s career after Jeff Fisher almost wrecked it before it started. McVay has built his offense to be a high-scoring unit in the league. Since taking over in 2017, he has just one losing season as a head coach. He is a two time NFC champion and won a Super Bowl as well.
When it comes to facing the Cardinals, McVay has only lost to Arizona twice in his tenure. He has the Cardinals’ number and it will be up to Jonathan Gannon to find a way to overcome that massive bump. Within the NFC West, the Cardinals have a tough task to take on both McVay and Kyler Shanahan. Gannon has a lot of catching up to do and he will be looking to prove that he is the right coach for the Cardinals to win in the NFC West.