With the NFL season roughly halfway over, some teams who gave their head coaches one last chance this year should now have enough data to determine whether to move on. One more bad performance in Week 9 could be the nail in the coffin.

Let's take a look at a handful of coaches who are in desperate need of wins (or lively showings at the very least) to remain employed for another week or so. The survive and advance mentality isn't just for the postseason, but these sideline bosses don't have the luxury of already qualifying for the playoffs.

Aaron Glenn, New York Jets

At 2-6, Jets fans are getting sick and tired of being sick and tired over their team's deja vu-like performances each year. Since Glenn was hired in 2025, New York has gone 5-20 with absolutely no sign of improvement. Two seasons seems like a small sample size, but the Jets have been this bad for a long time and it's actually understandable that management would expect a better start than this from a new regime.

The Jets, unfortunately, face the Kansas City Chiefs on the road and that does not bode well for Glenn's future. This situation can only end one of two ways. Either the Jets get the doors blown off them and the front office makes a midseason change, or the biggest upset of the season takes place at Arrowhead Stadium. The latter is extremely unlikely but that's why it would make perfect sense to save Glenn's career. Unfortunately for him, that's probably just a fantasy.

Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis has already begun its rebuild by firing general manager Chris Ballard and selling off foundational pieces on the roster. Steichen, who has a 27-30 record since he was hired in 2023, is definitely next on the list, especially if the team loses a fifth consecutive game. The Dallas Cowboys boast one of the worst defenses in the league and are coming off an embarrassing overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The Colts cannot afford to lose to those losers.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching and Week 9 being the last opportunity for star running back Jonathan Taylor to increase his stock, Steichen has a terrible decision to make. Deploy Taylor sparingly to avoid injury but risk a tenure-ending loss, or hand him the ball 30-plus times to try and win but risk a trade-preventing injury. There really isn't a good scenario here, especially if owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has already decided to clean house.

Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers' inexplicable 0-7 start can't all be blamed on quarterback Justin Herbert. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel was brought in by Harbaugh and it just is not working. That could've given Harbaugh cover, but only if he had removed McDaniel by now or at least re-delegated play-calling to someone else. That hasn't happened, and it's cost the Chargers their season, which opened with lofty expectations.

Week 9 features a tough matchup with the Houston Texans, but this is also the same team that surrendered an unnecessary overtime loss to the New York Giants. This is a winnable game and would be an inspiring first win for the Chargers. Dropping to 0-8 needs to prompt a serious mixup in leadership. Harbaugh is 22-19 since being hired in 2024 with two playoff appearances. Yet, the fanbase was ready to move on from him when both those playoff trips ended after just one game. Collapsing to a winless start is the entirely wrong direction for a coach meant to turn things around and is now wasting young quarterback talent.

Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles

You could easily put Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn here too, but his team's victory over these very Eagles may have bought him the rest of the season to remain employed. Sirianni, on the other hand, should be facing the door Sunday against the New York Giants. Dropping a seventh consecutive contest would see any team make a change at the staff level and Sirianni's decision to go to third-string QB Joe Milton III won't delay any of that kind of thinking in the front office — unless Milton leads an unexpected victory.

The Eagles started the season with Super Bowl aspirations and won their first two games. Then injuries started to pile up, including starting QB Jalen Hurts' controversial blood clots. The handling of that latter situation is reason enough to consider firing the head coach on top of the medical staff. Sirianni and the fanbase already have a toxic relationship too. Moving on from him should buy back some good will from fans who uncharacteristically were leaving games early during the losing streak.

Kellen Moore, New Orleans Saints

It doesn't matter if the Cleveland Browns have a winning record this year. If the Saints lose to them, Kellen Moore's job is forfeit. Tyler Shough emerged as one of the biggest positive surprises from the 2025 draft and his productive partnerships with Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele are being wasted. New Orleans is 8-15 since Moore took over after being described as an offensive savant. Defense is also part of the game and the Saints are averaging more points surrendered (27.7 per game) than they score (23.1 per game).

Should any other coach get the benefit of the doubt in just their second year? Maybe. But Moore entered with high expectations and a talented roster. He's supposed to get first-round pick Jordyn Tyson back for Week 9 and if Moore can't win a home game against Cleveland with a dynamic receiving trio, there just isn't anything Moore can do to truly turn things around. Embrace the tank and start the coaching search to take advantage of yet another high pick in 2027.