News has been quiet on the Seahawks’ head coach search, aside from some vague reported interest in Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald. Hopefully this week things will begin to pick up as the playoffs move along.
However, based on what’s already happened in the Wild Card round on Saturday and Sunday, a few potential head coach hires have seen their stock drop off pretty dramatically. Let’s review who’s up and who’s down.
Stock up: Texans OC Bobby Slowik
We witnessed from great work this weekend from Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who ran circles around the Browns and their elite defense. The Texans racked up 45 points on Cleveland, including 274 yards and three touchdowns from rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and a strong game on the ground from Devin Singletary (66 yards, one TD on 13 carries). Slowik’s scheming was instrumental in their success and he should have even more head coach interest coming soon.
Stock down: Browns DC Jim Schwartz
The guy on the other end of Slowik’s brilliant playcalling was Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. While Schwartz has an extremely impressive track record going against Kyle Shanahan-coached teams, his defense dropped off in a bad way in Houston. Most concerning, his ferocious pass rush was only able to get to Stroud for one quarterback hit and zero sacks. If Schwartz was on Seattle’s list, he’s probably dropped down a few pegs on it.
Stock up: Lions OC Ben Johnson
Last night the Lions won their first playoff game since 1991, surviving a tough matchup against Matt Stafford and the Rams at home, 24-23. As he has for most of the season, Jared Goff put in a strong game – posting 277 passing yards, one touchdown, no picks and a 121.8 passer rating. The Lions were less successful with their run game, but they were good enough to beat the hottest team coming into the postseason. Johnson’s stock should be rising.
Stock down: Cowboys DC Dan Quinn
The single greatest surprise of these playoffs was the stunning and embarrassing early exit for the Cowboys, who lost their first home game of the year in spectacular fashion as the visiting Packers dropped 48 points on Dan Quinn’s vaunted defense. That included a spectacular game by Jordan Love, who posted 272 yards and three scores. On the ground Aaron Jones was just as dominant, totaling 118 yards and three touchdowns on just 21 carries. Quinn’s defense got little-to-no pressure on Love and had no answer for anything Green Bay threw their way. If he is presumably at the top of the Seahawks’ list, this loss should give them pause.
