Ranking the Four Head Coaches in the NFL Conference Championship Round

Ranking the Four Head Coaches in the NFL Conference Championship Round

Player highlights, big momentum swings, and other pressure-packed moments tend to overshadow the role that coaching plays in all sports. Nowhere is coaching more important than football. Specifically, NFL football in the playoffs. Scheming up coverages and pressure packages based on the alignment of the opponent is a massively important piece to winning football games, but most of the credit goes to the players executing the strategy on the field. While it's important to acknowledge players for their performance, learning to appreciate the leadership and knowledge that each head coach and coordinator possesses is something that needs to become more mainstream.

Want free bets to use on the remainder of the NFL Playoffs? Click here and get exactly that with over $5,000 worth of sports betting bonuses!

We have a nice mixture of experience and winning pedigree with the four teams remaining. Andy Reid is the veteran, finally obtaining the elusive Super Bowl win with Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes over Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers back in 2019. Speaking of Shanahan and the 49ers, they're back in their third NFC Championship game in the past four seasons. Nick Sirianni began his career as Philadelphia's head coach with a lot of unique quotes and quips to the media, making him a charade instead of recognizing his coaching talent. Finally, Zac Taylor, who stuck with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2-14 in 2019, to now, with consecutive appearances in the AFC Championship game against Kansas City.

Here are my rankings and reasoning for the four coaches remaining in the 2022-23 NFL playoffs ahead of the Conference Championship weekend.

Ranking the Four Head Coaches in the NFL Conference Championship Round

1. Andy Reid - Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Reid has spent over two decades as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. Reid's departure from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 2013 came nine years after he got quarterback Donovan McNabb and the Eagles to the Super Bowl after a 13-3 season in 2004. After winning only one Conference Championship in his 14 years with the Eagles, Reid eventually drafted Patrick Mahomes in 2017, which led to two consecutive Conference Championship wins in 2019 and 2020, with the former resulting in a 31-20 win over San Francisco in the Super Bowl. Reid has a .722 win percentage with the Chiefs in the regular season and he's among the league's best offensive play-calling minds, creating exotic formations and personnel groups to move the football and score touchdowns. He's undisputedly the best coach entering the 2022 Conference Championship Round.

2. Nick Sirianni - Philadelphia Eagles

Most of us laughed at Nick Sirianni's press conferences when he first became head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, taking over for former head coach Doug Pederson, who was ousted following the messy handling of Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts. Sirianni has only been a head coach for two seasons, previously spending three years as the Offensive Coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. When you trace Sirianni's roots in the NFL, you discover that he was with the Chiefs in various offensive play-calling support roles, getting replaced during Andy Reid's arrival in 2013. Sirianni went on to spend five years with the Chargers as the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach before calling plays for the Colts under Frank Reich. He's made an immediate impact, developing Jalen Hurts and building an elite offense, while keeping his infectious energy intact and wearing the emotional competitive fire on his sleeve. A big test awaits against an experienced San Francisco defense, but Sirianni is going to have his game plan prepared for success.

3. Zac Taylor - Cincinnati Bengals

Very few of us knew about Zac Taylor when he was hired off of Sean McVay's coaching staff in 2019. Cincinnati took a while to get going, but the past few drafts have resulted in franchise-altering prospects such as quarterback Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and plenty of others getting drafted to build up one of the most balanced offensive units in the league. Taylor is a big proponent of establishing the run and utilizing his running backs as receivers, which is a staple of McVay's offensive identity. He has a .833 win percentage in six playoff games, helping lead the Bengals to consecutive AFC Championship games, while also going 3-0 against Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs. The fourth matchup between these two coaches is set for Sunday evening, so expect Taylor to dial up a pass-centric attack, pivoting off of the run-centric game plan he executed with Joe Mixon against a lackluster Buffalo run defense. He may not have a lot of coaching experience, but Taylor is a proven winner and showed his leadership abilities through adversity this season.

4. Kyle Shanahan - San Francisco 49ers

Kyle Shanahan has been so close to hoisting a Lombardi Trophy ever since 2016 when the Atlanta Falcons had their notorious 28-3 meltdown against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. He spent nine years as an Offensive Coordinator for Houston, Washington, Cleveland, and Atlanta, leaning into his father's zone-run blocking scheme to create one of the most popular schemes in the league. Since joining the 49ers as head coach back in 2017, Shanahan has three winning seasons across the past four years, shaking off a slow start in the Bay Area and coming within a couple of plays of beating Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl back in 2019. Shanahan has elite personnel on offense that protects rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who has played turnover-free football and utilized all of the playmakers to keep San Francisco undefeated since taking over against Miami in Week 13. Last year, the 49ers were outmatched by Sean McVay and the Rams in the NFC Championship game, so expect Shanahan to have plenty of motivation to get back to his third Super Bowl since 2016.

Are you looking for a new sportsbook to use for the NFL Conference Championships? Click claim now below on the offer and get a new welcome bonus!

You might have missed...

1. Who's going to be the Super Bowl MVP? Mahomes? Burrow?
2. Where the Top-10 NFL Free Agents Will Sign This Offseason
3. Ranking the top NFL team defenses in the Conference Championship round