NFL pressure-cooker ratings: Who's feeling the most heat on all 32 teams?

The NFL is a results-driven league, and five weeks into the 2025 season, the pressure is building for all 32 franchises. Whether it's head coaches, coordinators, general managers or high-profile players, jobs and futures are on the line.

In this pressure-cooker index, Yardbarker NFL writers rate the heat level across the league using a 1-to-5 scale — "5" being "intense" and "1" being more of a simmering concern than a boiling point.

NFC East

DALLAS COWBOYS (2-2-1) | DC Matt Eberflus | Pressure-cooker rating: 3 | Dallas is riding the arm of QB Dak Prescott, who leads all QBs in total expected points added at 38.4. However, that won’t be a sustainable strategy if the defense continues to give up the most completions in the league (131 so far) and forces the offense to score on nearly every drive just to keep up with the opponent. Eberflus must at least make the defense average; otherwise, he risks being the reason Dallas underachieves.

NEW YORK GIANTS (2-4) | HC Brian Daboll | Pressure-cooker rating: 5 | Daboll had a chance in Week 5 to relieve the pressure, but his team had turnovers on five consecutive possessions in a 26-14 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Daboll is 20-36-1 as Giants head coach. Trying to develop QB Jaxson Dart is his last card, but relying on the rookie to lead a subpar team to a respectable record is likely a recipe for disaster. Thursday night's massive win over the Eagles helps, though.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4-2) | OC Kevin Patullo | Pressure-cooker rating: 4 | In 2024, running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards, but he’s on pace to finish with just 908. Philadelphia is averaging 261.6 yards per game after averaging 386.2 last season. The only thing different on the Eagles offense now is the play-caller, so it's on Patullo to find a way to maximize this group. Thursday night's loss to the Giants hurts his cause, as Philly continues to spiral.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (3-2) | QB Jayden Daniels | Pressure-cooker rating: 2 | Through five weeks, the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year has a below-average QBR of 45.5 and has missed two games because of a knee injury. He must play well consistently for Washington to keep up with the first-place Philadelphia Eagles. — Conor Killmurray

NFC West

ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-3) | HC Jonathan Gannon | Pressure-cooker rating: 4 | With a 14-25 record as Cardinals head coach following a brutal 22-21 loss in Week 5 to the Tennessee Titans, Gannon should be sweating. For a team that started 2-0 and had serious playoff aspirations coming into Gannon’s third season at the helm, the second-half disaster was a huge wake-up call.

LOS ANGELES RAMS (3-2) | QB Matthew Stafford | Pressure-cooker rating: 2 | The 37-year-old started the season with injury concerns (back), but he has played exceptionally well (league-high 1,503 passing yards). Getting protection from his struggling offensive line will go a long way, and with wide receiver Puka Nacua on a historic pace through five games, there is enough talent around Stafford — assuming he stays healthy — to lead the Rams back to a Super Bowl.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-1) | QB Brock Purdy | Pressure-cooker rating: 3 | Purdy, who signed a five-year, $265M contract extension during the offseason, has played in only two games because of a turf toe injury and already has four interceptions. Meanwhile, backup QB Mac Jones is 3-0 and has played well.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-2) | CB Riq Woolen | Pressure-cooker rating: 5 | Woolen led the league with six interceptions during his 2022 rookie season, when he drew comparisons to former Seahawks great Richard Sherman for his play-making. Since then, his performance has dipped. Pro Football Focus gives him a below-average grade of 42.5 (155th of 169 qualified CBs). In the final year of a rookie deal, he must improve. — Colby Colwell

NFC North

CHICAGO BEARS (2-2) | GM Ryan Poles | Pressure-cooker rating: 4 | Poles nabbed the prize of the offseason (ex-Lions OC Ben Johnson as HC), but his roster-building acumen and talent evaluation skills remain substandard. The Bears are 17-38 since Poles took over as GM in 2022, and his decisions to draft QB Caleb Williams ahead of Jayden Daniels in 2024 and tight end Colston Loveland ahead of Tyler Warren in 2025 look to be franchise-altering mistakes.

DETROIT LIONS (4-1) | CB Terrion Arnold | Pressure-cooker rating: 4 | Arnold, who went 24th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, led all NFL defenders in penalties (11) and penalty yards (167) as a rookie. This year, the Alabama product ranks 132nd of 169 qualified cornerbacks in overall Pro Football Focus grade, and he suffered a potentially season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5. Arnold’s future with the Lions is now a huge question. 

GREEN BAY PACKERS (2-1-1) | WR Matthew Golden | Pressure-cooker rating: 1 | The Packers drafted Golden with the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft — the first time they’ve taken a wide receiver in the first round since 2002 — because they believed he could be Jordan Love’s No. 1 target. That hasn’t panned out, as Golden has just 11 catches for 126 yards and no TDs. It’s far too early to hit the panic button on Golden, who has increased his snap count every week and is coming off a season-high 58 receiving yards in Week 4.
 
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3-2) | QB J.J. McCarthy | Pressure-cooker rating: 3 | Of the 37 QBs who have played at least 50 snaps this season, McCarthy ranks 37th in EPA per play (-0.354) and 35th in success rate (41.7 percent). Meanwhile, backup Carson Wentz is 2-1 as starter with 759 passing yards, five TD passes and a 69 percent completion rate in three games since McCarthy suffered an ankle injury. There’s no guarantee McCarthy will remain the starter when he returns.  — Jack Dougherty

NFC South

ATLANTA FALCONS (2-2) | Special teams coach Marquice Williams | Pressure-cooker rating: 3 | The Falcons have found success on offense and defense, but competent special teams play still eludes them. Atlanta already cut kicker Younghoe Koo, and his replacement, John Parker Romo, has already missed two field goals. The team ranks in the bottom 10 in the league in average starting field position on both offense and defense, a poor reflection on the kickoff and punt units.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (2-3) | QB Bryce Young | Pressure-cooker rating: 2 | The third-year starting QB is developing at a glacial pace, which could force the Panthers into tough conversations if the season spirals out of control. Carolina can’t wait forever for Young (below-average 60.9 completion percentage) to consistently play well, making the rest of 2025 crucial to determining how much longer he should be in the franchise’s plans.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1-4) | Guard Cesar Ruiz | Pressure-cooker rating: 4 | The 2020 first-round pick (ankle) was limited at practice Wednesday, but based on undrafted rookie free agent Torricelli Simpkins III’s performance in Week 5 against a strong Giants pass rush, Ruiz could be in danger of losing his starting job. NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger shared a reel of Simpkins’ best plays on Sunday. It showedcased a player quick to engage the opposition at the line of scrimmage and one with the upper-body strength to stonewall defenders. 

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-1) | CB coach Kevin Ross | Pressure-cooker rating: 1 | Tampa Bay doesn’t have much to panic over, but the secondary is a potential concern. Ross’ job shouldn’t be in danger this season, but if the unit (10 passing TDs allowed, only two interceptions) doesn’t improve, that could change in the offseason. —  Eric Smithling

AFC East

BUFFALO BILLS (4-1) | WR Keon Coleman | Pressure-cooker rating: 3 | Coleman was benched in the first half of a 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 5, the second time in as many years he has missed time for disciplinary reasons. Head coach Sean McDermott wouldn’t specify the infraction, but he surely had choice words for the team’s third-leading receiver after his first-quarter fumble gave New England the ball on Buffalo's 11-yard line.

MIAMI DOLPHINS (1-4) | QB Tua Tagovailoa | Pressure-cooker rating: 4 | Mike McDaniel may have the hottest seat of any head coach, but he didn't sign a four-year, $212M contract with just over $79M guaranteed through 2026, as Tagovailoa did. The sixth-year QB is 7-9 since signing his contract in 2024 and probably won’t have Tyreek Hill to throw to in 2026 after the team’s No. 1 receiver suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 5.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (3-2) | RB Rhamondre Stevenson | Pressure-cooker rating: 5 | Stevenson signed a four-year deal in 2024, but even with his two TDs against the Bills in Week 5, he’ll never hold off second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson if he can’t hold on to the ball. The fifth-year running back has already lost three fumbles this season and led the position with six fumbles in 2024.

NEW YORK JETS (0-5) | Tackle Olu Fashanu | Pressure-cooker rating: 2 | Per Pro Football Focus, Fashanu has allowed 18 pressures through the team’s first five games, the most of any left tackle and 2.3 percent over league average. Expectations for the team are low, but for the Jets to improve their 28th-ranked passing game, they need better play from the 11th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. — Bruce Ewing

AFC West

DENVER BRONCOS (3-2) | CB Riley Moss | Pressure-cooker rating: 3 | Teams are targeting Moss more to avoid throwing at star CB Patrick Surtain II, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year. The third-year corner has struggled to adjust, allowing a career-high 15.4 yards per reception through five games (via Pro Football Focus). If he continues to allow big plays, Denver should give rookie corner Jahdae Barron (pick No. 20) more playing time.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (2-3) | RB Isiah Pacheco | Pressure-cooker rating: 4 | Pacheco — in the final year of his rookie contract — hasn’t proved he deserves an extension. Through five games, he has rushed for fewer yards (163) than QB Patrick Mahomes (190). Expect the Chiefs to try to add another RB before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, perhaps New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara.   

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (1-4) | QB Geno Smith | Pressure-cooker rating: 5 | Should the former Seahawks star get benched for former Steelers/Eagles flop Kenny Pickett? Through five starts, Smith has a league-leading nine interceptions and ranks 28th of 32 eligible QBs in QBR (38.6). That’s not what the Raiders were hoping for when they traded a 2025 third-round pick to the Seahawks for the two-time Pro Bowler in March. 

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (3-2) | WR Quentin Johnston | Pressure-cooker rating: 2 | In his first two seasons with the Chargers, the 2023 first-round pick logged seven drops (via Pro Football Focus). The former TCU star is becoming a much more sure-handed WR this season. Through five games, he has just one drop and four touchdown catches, tied for the fifth most in the league. — Clark Dalton

AFC North

BALTIMORE RAVENS (1-4) | DC Zach Orr | Pressure-cooker rating: 5  | If you want to be extremely charitable, write off the team's defensive struggles as the result of injuries to several key starters. But even with injuries there is no excuse for the Ravens to be as non-competitive as they have been (league-high 35.4 PPG). You can't fire all the players, and head coach John Harbaugh isn’t likely to go, which means Orr is on the hot seat. 

CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-3) | HC Zac Taylor | Pressure-cooker rating: 4 | The Bengals do not have a Joe Burrow injury problem. They have a bad team problem, and the head coach is usually one of the first ones to take the fall for that. The Bengals have missed the playoffs two years in a row with Burrow mostly in the lineup. But Taylor is only 8-25 with the Bengals when Burrow isn’t his QB.

CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-4) | WR Jerry Jeudy | Pressure-cooker rating: 3 | The Browns have a lot of problems on offense, and their QB situation seemingly is always on the front-burner. But they have another big issue: No. 1 wide receiver Jeudy, who has caught just 15 of 35 targets for 197 yards (13.1 YPC).

PITTTSBURGH STEELERS (3-1) | TE Pat Freiermuth | Pressure-cooker rating: 3 | At one point in his career, Freiermuth looked like he was going to be a core piece for the offense. (He evened signed a four-year, $48.4M contract.) But he's buried on the depth chart behind Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington and has not looked impressive. In Week 2 against Seattle, he dropped a potential big pass and missed a block that resulted in a blocked field goal. — Adam Gretz

AFC South

HOUSTON TEXANS (2-3) | RB Joe Mixon | Pressure-cooker rating: 4 | Mixon has not played because of a foot injury, and the Texans still refuse to place a timeline on when he might return. He reportedly suffered the injury while away from the team, adding to the frustration for the team. Mixon was the focal point of Houston’s rushing attack last season (1,016 yards rushing and 11 TDs), but there is no guarantee he will play in 2025.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-1) | QB Anthony Richardson | Pressure-cooker rating: 4 | Daniel Jones beat out Richardson for the starting QB job during training camp and is now playing some of the best football of his career. That is not good news for Richardson, who is in what many view as a make-or-break season with the Colts. The third-year QB has 11 TD passes and 13 interceptions, and he is unlikely to improve on those numbers without an injury to Jones.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-1) | WR/CB Travis Hunter | Pressure-cooker rating: 1 | The No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is not going anywhere, but he has been somewhat disappointing. Though he has made some nice plays on both sides of the ball, Hunter has just 16 catches for 182 yards and has yet to score a TD. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner has not looked like a Pro Bowl player on offense or defense, and the pressure will mount if that trend continues.

TENNESSEE TITANS (1-4) | HC Brian Callahan | Pressure-cooker rating: 5 | Callahan might have bought himself time with Tennessee’s stunning comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5, but it seems inevitable that he will be fired at some point in 2025. The Titans are averaging an NFL-worst 14.6 points per game, which reflects poorly on a coach who was hired because of his offensive background. Rookie QB Cam Ward made big plays against Arizona, but he seems to be developing more slowly than expected under Callahan. — Steve DelVecchio