After clinching the New York Giants’ first playoff berth in six seasons, rookie head coach Brian Daboll is now one of three favorites in the odds for the NFL Coach of the Year award.
Daboll opened the season at +1400 for the award but immediately jumped to +1000 after just one week. It was in a win at Tennessee where the new head coach elected to go for the win with a two-point conversion attempt to win instead of taking the extra point for the tie. And his gamble paid off.
After a 6-2 start, Daboll was +250 for the award, behind Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni. At that point, he had led the Eagles to a 7-0 beginning of the season.
Daboll’s Odds Were Dropping Prior to Week 15 Washington Win
The Giants had a difficult stretch in November and December that saw them go 1-4-1, leading into a Sunday night matchup at Washington with both clubs sitting at 7-5-1. Daboll was at +1350 going into the game against the Commanders.
The Giants narrowly won that Week 15 matchup 20-12, which improved their playoff odds greatly. After losing to Minnesota on a last-second, 61-yard field goal, the Giants were helped by Seattle and Detroit losing a game while Washington went 0-2.
That led to the Giants taking care of business on both sides of the ball in a 38-10 win at home over Indianapolis in Week 17, securing NY’s first playoff berth since 2016.
This run, paired with a two-game losing streak by Philadelphia (without quarterback Jalen Hurts), has moved Daboll up the odds board to challenge Sirianni, whose Eagles team needs to beat the Giants to end up with the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs that we all thought was sewn up for them weeks ago.
NFL Coach of the Year Odds: Daboll Favorites With Sirianni and Shanahan
Going into the final weekend of the regular season, here are the odds for NFL Coach of the Year, courtesy of DraftKings.
| NFL COACH OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE | MONEYLINE ODDS | RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Sirianni, PHI | +150 | 13-3 |
| Kyle Shanahan, SF | +200 | 12-4 |
| Brian Daboll, NYG | +300 | 9-6-1 |
| Doug Pederson, JAX | +1000 | 8-8 |
| Zac Taylor, CIN | +2000 | 12-4 |
| Sean McDermott, BUF | +3000 | 13-3 |
| Dan Campbell, DET | +4000 | 8-8 |
NFL Coach of the Year Odds: Favorites
Sirianni: Improved from 9-8 a year ago to lead the Eagles to the top seed in the NFC is they can beat the Giants Sunday.
Shanahan: Could get the 1-seed in the NFC if the Eagles lose and has led the 49ers to an NFC West title despite losing two starting quarterbacks and currently being undefeated with third-stringer Brock Purdy, who was the last pick the 2022 NFL Draft.
Daboll: Took a Giants team with an over-under win total of 6.5 to a playoff berth in a very difficult division in his first year on the job.
NFL Coach of the Year Odds: Longshots
Pederson: A dark-horse candidate if the Jaguars were to beat Tennessee this weekend since it would give the Jaguars their fifth-straight win and the AFC South title. Given that Jacksonville was a laughing stock a year ago with Urban Meyer as head coach, this would be an incredible turnaround in Trevor Lawrence’s second year.
Taylor: Avoided the Super Bowl loss hangover and has the Bengals on a seven-game winning streak. Likely the AFC North champions with a decision on Week 17’s game against Buffalo pending.
Campbell: Took a Lions team left for dead at 1-6 and brought them to an 8-8 record. Detroit would need the LA Rams to upset Seattle before it would have a chance to defeat Green Bay on Sunday night in order to make the playoffs, but if those things occur, Campbell can steal this award.
McDermott: Buffalo is 13-3 and remains the Super Bowl favorites. McDermott, however, has steered the team through more than its fair share of adversity. A game in November was moved from Buffalo to Detroit due to a blizzard. A snowstorm a month later also kept the Bills stranded in Chicago for Christmas. Monday, McDermott led his team in the face of a potential tragedy as cornerback Damar Haskins collapsed on the field in Cincinnati, where life-saving measures were then performed in front of teammates.
NFL Coach of the Year Prediction
It’s likely Sirianni’s award to lose, and if the Eagles lock up home-field advantage, he is likely to win it. If the 49ers end up with the 1-seed in the NFC, it’s hard to see Shanahan not winning it. Many voters, however, like to pick a coach who exceeded expectations the most. In that case, Daboll is the front runner, followed by Pederson and Campbell if their teams were to make the playoffs. In order of likeliness, we would take: Sirianni, Daboll, and Pederson.
