The Christmas season isn’t fun for everyone.

I’m not talking about people who complain about choosing gifts or visiting annoying relatives. I’m referring to the people whose livelihoods are on the line once Dec. 25 rolls by on the calendar.

NFL coaches are one of the few people who could sweat in four feet of snow. And with Week 17 here, their seats are extra hot as Black Monday is just a few days away.

Black. Monday. A day of public executions. When the football bloodlust from the fanbases of crappy teams are satiated. Every foible of the entire season is foisted on one man, who is just trying to clean out his desk and make a quiet exit from the building without anything too humiliating happening.

Three head coaches have already been chopped. But the question remains: Which men are most likely to join Rex Ryan, Jeff Fisher and Gus Bradley on the unemployment line?

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Let’s break it down in our Potential Fired NFL Coaches Power Rankings:

1) Mike McCoy, Chargers – He started his Chargers tenure with back-to-back 9-7 records and one playoff appearance. The Bolts then went 4-12 last season and are 5-10 this year and are just coming off a loss to the Browns. The previously winless Browns. I’m surprised they let him fly back to San Diego with the team.

2) John Fox, Bears – People can tell you the Bears are a rebuilding team until they’re blue in the face. You don’t get that kind of latitude in this league anymore. Let’s just check out what Chicago’s defense has allowed the previous two weeks: 478 yards to the Redskins and 451 to the Packers. And they gave up 200 yards rushing in each of those losses. The Bears went 6-10 in 2015 and are guaranteed to finish with a worse record this season. How patient should the organization be with him?

3) Chip Kelly, 49ers – Too bad the 49ers can’t play the Rams every week, eh? It’s been depressing to see the NFL fall of Kelly, who I thought was ready to take the league by storm when he arrived in Philadelphia a few years ago. And after a decent start, things collapsed and the stink followed him to the west coast. Now, this is just his first season in San Francisco, but with the recent rumor that Jed York’s parents aren’t happy with the team’s direction, I have to pause. I’m not saying it will happen, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 49ers make a change. And Kelly’s record doesn’t provide much of a counter-argument.

4) Jim Caldwell, Lions – I know what you’re saying. “Sid, the Lions are one 1 win away from a division title and possibly hosting a home playoff game.” Yes, but the Lions had a comfortable lead in the NFC North once upon a time, and they’ve come apart at the seams and just got stomped by the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. And check out the headlines coming out of Detroit: Could Jim Caldwell be fired if the Lions miss the playoffs? Jim Caldwell deflects questions about future as Detroit Lions coach. Jim Caldwell: ‘Job questions come no matter what’ You get the idea. If there are rumblings like this in the air, things to tend to happen. Especially on the heels of a choke job.

5) Chuck Pagano, Colts – Well, he’s saying all the right things lately. Stuff like, “I take full responsibility for everything.” And also, ‘It’s unacceptable where we’re at.” That’s nice, Coach. And where you’re at is a second straight season of not reaching the playoffs. It was surprising that Pagano survived last season with all the turmoil between him and the front office. I’m not so sure Jim Irsay will be able to smooth things over this time. They can’t afford to keep wasting seasons of Andrew Luck’s career.

6) Ron Rivera, Panthers – It might seem weird to have Rivera this high, but it could be time for a change in Carolina. This season was a disappointment from the opening kickoff and Rivera’s strange conflicts with Cam Newton at times don’t help at all. When it comes to a battle of a star player vs. a head coach, the player will win, more often than not. The Panthers might be wise to bring in an offensive-minded head coach to work with Newton and keep him happy.

7) Todd Bowles, Jets – Gang Green was so, so close to a playoff spot last season and most people certainly thought this was a team that could very well take the next step. Needless to say, they stumbled several steps backward. Ryan Fitzpatrick regressed to the mean, injuries hit their receiving corps and that defense just hasn’t been enough to keep them in games. Bowles doesn’t deserve to lose his job, but as we’ve seen over the years, that doesn’t stop NFL teams from making a change anyway.

8) Sean Payton, Saints – Drew Brees isn’t getting any younger and their defense isn’t getting any stouter. At some point, the clock will strike midnight for Payton in the Big Easy.

9) Hue Jackson, Browns – Coaches in Cleveland are on the hot seat from the day they have their introductory press conference. Their team headquarters are haunted with the ghosts of Chudszinskis, Manginis, Shurmurs, Pettines and more. But, while it really did look as though the Browns would go 0-16 this season, they didn’t. And there’s no arguing the team played hard. Jackson will get one more year.

10) Marvin Lewis, Bengals – He should have been fired after last season’s playoff meltdown, but he wasn’t. And even though his postseason streak will come to an end, I’ll put serious money that he’ll have his job next season.

Sid Saraf
Sid Saraf

NFL Analyst

Currently a Mobile Editor at Yahoo, Saraf spent 5.5 years (Oct. 2010 – Feb. 2016) working for FOX Sports as an NFL Editor and Writer. Prior to that, Saraf worked for CBS Interactive for 4.5 years (May 2006 – Oct. 2010) as a Staff Editor.

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