I think we can all agree that coaching matters just a little bit more in the NFL playoffs when games are more competitive, making the margins much smaller. A team might be able to overcome a coaching mistake (or two) against a team that will be drafting in the top-five a few months later, but not against the better teams in the league.
Because of that, ranking the coaches in the playoffs seems like a fruitful thing to do. Here’s the thing: It’s really freaking hard. Why? For one, Who would you want to coach your team for the next decade? is an entirely different question than Who would you want to coach your team for the next four games?
While locker room management and player development probably trump X’s and O’s and in-game decision making over the long haul, the more tactical aspects of the job take precedence for one postseason run. And that’s what these rankings are based on: Which coach would I want over the next five weeks? So just because I have one coach ahead of another here doesn’t mean I think they’re a better coach overall.
With that out of the way, let’s rank some coaches…