NFC player, coach or executive with most at stake down the stretch

As the NFL heads into the final stretch of the season, many players, coaches and executives are facing enormous pressure.

Ahead of Week 14, Yardbarker NFL writers identify those in the NFC who have the most at stake on each team.

NFC East

DALLAS COWBOYS (5-7) | Owner Jerry Jones |
Per Forbes.com, the Cowboys are by far the most valuable franchise in the NFL, but the team’s play hasn’t done much for its popularity. According to wfaa.com, tickets for the Thanksgiving game at AT&T Stadium went from $58 to $63 for upper-deck seats. Jalen Williams of the Detroit Free Press reports fans paid $243 for standing-room tickets to watch the Lions play at home on Thanksgiving, which must irk Jones, whose team is 1-5 at home this season.

NEW YORK GIANTS (2-10) | GM Joe Schoen | The Giants are 17-28-1 since Schoen took over as the GM in 2022 and could finish this season 2-15. Schoen let 2024 MVP candidate Saquon Barkley sign with Philadelphia to pay quarterback Daniel Jones (currently on Minnesota’s practice squad). That event played out on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” a move that could cost him his job.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES  (10-2) | RB Saquon Barkley | With a league-leading 1,499 rushing yards, an average of 124.9 yards per game, the former Giant is on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s season rushing record of 2,105 yards. With the second-best odds to win MVP, per ESPN Bet, Barkley has everything to play for as Philadelphia looks to take the top seed in the NFC playoffs from Detroit.

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (8-5) | QB Jayden Daniels | With 1,135 yards passing, 300 yards rushing and four wins in his first five games, Daniels seemed an obvious choice to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. But three wins, nine touchdown passes and 1,112 yards passing from Broncos quarterback Bo Nix over his past five games have tightened that race. Per BetMGM, Daniels is the favorite, but Nix isn’t far behind, and unlike the Denver rookie, Daniels still must face Philadelphia’s top-ranked defense in Week 16. — Bruce Ewing

NFC West

ARIZONA CARDINALS (6-6) | Defensive back Budda Baker | Baker is the backbone of the defense and one of the team’s best leaders. He has a team-leading 114 tackles, two sacks, eight tackles for loss and three passes defensed. He is also in a contract year and looking to cash in after this season. If he continues his great season and helps the Cardinals make a surprising playoff appearance, he should cash in with Arizona or another team. 

LOS ANGELES RAMS (6-6) | WR Cooper Kupp | Kupp was the subject of trade rumors leading up to the trade deadline, but the Rams opted to keep the veteran wide receiver to make a run in the wide-open NFC West. Injuries and declining production over the past few seasons could jeopardize his roster spot (whether by trade or release) after this season, as his impact (58 catches, 565 yards) continues to dwindle. 

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-7) | QB Brock Purdy | Purdy is not playing for his job or a spot on the roster but for a new contract. He must show he is a franchise quarterback worthy of the NFL’s next big-money deal. So far this season, his production is underwhelming (2,707 yards passing, 13 TD passes and eight interceptions), perhaps expected given the injury-plagued Niners.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (7-5) | QB Geno Smith | Smith has one more year remaining on his contract with the Seahawks, so the team could move on from him after this season and release him ($38 million in dead salary-cap space if it did) for a chance to upgrade at the position. Smith has been wildly inconsistent this season, struggling with turnovers (12 interceptions) despite Seattle’s spot atop the division. — Adam Gretz

NFC North 

CHICAGO BEARS (4-8) | Interim HC Thomas Brown | Following the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus, Brown was promoted from his role as offensive coordinator and has a chance to prove he deserves to remain head coach. He’ll face tough matchups during his five-game tenure — at San Francisco 49ers (5-7), at Minnesota Vikings (10-2), vs. Detroit Lions (11-1), vs. Seattle Seahawks (7-5) and at Green Bay Packers (9-3) — but should the Bears have a winning record over that stretch, Brown could keep the gig.

DETROIT LIONS (11-1) | Head coach Dan Campbell | There’s no doubt Campbell is one of the league’s best head coaches since becoming Detroit HC in 2021. However, he has yet to earn a Coach of the Year award, which he could lock up if Detroit finishes 14-3 or better. 

GREEN BAY PACKERS (9-3) | DE Lukas Van Ness | A first-round pick in 2023, Van Ness has only been on the field for 50% or more of Green Bay’s defensive snaps in a game twice this season, per Next Gen Stats. Van Ness, 23, has just three sacks, and the team’s patience for him to develop into a starting-caliber pass-rusher is dwindling.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (10-2) | QB Sam Darnold | It’s no secret that Darnold’s starting role will be in serious jeopardy this offseason, with the Vikings recently signing former New York Giants QB Daniel Jones and 2024 first-round pick QB J.J. McCarthy returning from a season-ending injury. If Darnold stumbles over the final stretch and fails to perform in the playoffs, he likely won’t be re-signed by the Vikings. (Per ESPN.com, the Vikings have a 99 percent chance of making the postseason.) — Josh Eaton

NFC South 

ATLANTA FALCONS (6-6) | GM Terry Fontenot | Fontenot, in his fourth season as Falcons GM, is responsible for the signing of QB Kirk Cousins, which hasn’t worked out great, and Atlanta’s decision to draft four consecutive offensive players with top-10 draft picks. Atlanta is 19th in scoring offense (21.4 PPG) and tied with the Buccaneers for the division lead, making the Falcons’ next five games crucial to Fontenot’s survival.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (3-9) | Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero | Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Evero was a candidate for Carolina’s head-coaching job during the 2024 offseason as well for HC openings in Atlanta and Seattle. But with Carolina sporting the league’s worst defense (30.5 points allowed per game) this season, Evero may go from a hot commodity to the hot seat in less than a year. 

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (4-8) | QB Derek Carr | The Saints added Carr in 2023 under the misguided notion that he could return the franchise to the postseason for the first time since 2020. New Orleans will owe Carr $30 million in 2025 if he’s on the roster on the third day of the league year (h/t Spotrac), which could prompt the front office to cut ties halfway through Carr’s four-year deal. 

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (6-6) | Head coach Todd Bowles |
Per ESPN’s NFL Football Power Index, the Bucs have the league’s third-easiest remaining schedule, with four games against teams currently with losing records, making them the favorite to win the NFC South. If Bowles falls short of expectations and Tampa Bay misses the playoffs, the front office might be inclined to make a change. — Eric Smithling