The NFL playoff matchups are set. There are mere weekdays before Wild Card Weekend—albeit weekdays overstuffed with analysis, hype, and celebrity-sponsored sportsbook parlay offers. But before the richest sports league on planet earth starts its postseason and we learn all about why Snoop Dogg loves the Bucs at home or whatever, it’s worth spotlighting a major reason your favorite team is even in the playoffs (sorry Cowboys fans lol). 

For a league whose players are majority Black yet has a well-reported long history of underrepresentation in the coaching ranks (and an even worse inequality issue at the executive and ownership levels), it’s important to shout out those individuals who’ve managed to work their way into some of the most coveted positions in sports. The NFL deserves credit for pushing for more balanced representation in coaching, but if the league’s claims of meritocracy are to be believed, the vast majority of the credit goes to these coaches—Black teachers helping Black men while giving us all something to cheer about in the process. They’re the reason your team has a shot at a Lombardi Trophy. 

Playoff Seeding Based on Black Coaches Formula

• Five (5) points for a Head Coach
• Three (3) points for an Offensive/Defensive/Special Teams coordinator 
• One (1) point for a position coach 
  (No strength and conditioning coaches were included. We’re sticking to coaches who are helping players become the best at football, not helping them become the best at exercising.)

Important to note that not all coaching staffs are created equally—which in a way is the point of this analysis. Some teams simply have far more total coaches than others, so the clubs with half a dozen “assistant coordinating manager”-types generally fared better in the seeding. 

A Brief History of Black Coaches in the NFL
A quick moment for some perspective. The NFL’s first Black head coach was Fritz Pollard in 1921—over 100 years ago. After Pollard broke the barrier, it took nearly seven decades for Art Shell to become the second Black head coach in the modern era in 1989. Since then, progress has been uneven at best.

The Rooney Rule, implemented in 2003, was supposed to change that by requiring teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching jobs. Initially, it worked: between 2000 and 2009, 20.4% of new head coaches were Black—nearly tripling from the previous decade. But since then? Regression. As recently as 2021, only three of 32 head coaches were Black despite more than half of NFL players identifying as such. 

Today—following “Black Monday” with Jerod Mayo’s firing in New England and Antonio Pierce's in Las Vegas—there are currently only five Black head coaches in the NFL including “human being” Mike McDaniel in Miami. Offensive coordinator roles remain a glaring issue; in 2024, there were zero Black offensive coordinators—a first since 1988. Again, the NFL and some teams have implemented changes to help get more people of color into the coaching “pipeline,” but—much like with any industry in America—systemic issues persist.

The Results
Wildcard Weekend (Traditional Seeding)
AFC
BYE: (1) Chiefs
(5) Chargers at (4) Texans
(6) Steelers at (3) Ravens
(7) Broncos at (2) Bills

NFC
BYE: (1) Lions
(7) Packers at (2) Eagles
(6) Commanders at (3) Buccaneers
(5) Vikings at (4) Rams

Wildcard Weekend (Black Coaches Seeding)
AFC
BYE: (1) Steelers
(7) Chargers at (2) Ravens
(6) Chiefs at (3) Texans
(5) Bills at (4) Broncos

NFC
BYE: (1) Buccaneers
(7) Rams at (2) Vikings
(6) Packers at (3) Commanders
(5) Eagles at (4) Lions

NOTES:

• Teams with Black Head Coaches generally had more Black coaches on their staff.
• Mike Tomlin’s Steelers have an all-Black defensive coaching room.
• The Texans have both a “Jerrod” and a “Jarrod” on their coaching staff.

AFC Seedings

1. Steelers – 18 points: Mike Tomlin leads an all-Black defensive coaching staff, including Teryl Austin (Defensive Coordinator) and Grady Brown (Secondary Coach).
2. Ravens – 16 points: Baltimore boasts Chris Hewitt (Assistant Head Coach/Pass Game Coordinator) and Zachary Orr (Defensive Coordinator), among others.
3. Texans – 15 points: DeMeco Ryans has built a diverse staff in Houston, including Jerrod Johnson (Quarterbacks Coach) and Jarrod James (Offensive Assistant).
4. Broncos – 10 points: Vance Joseph (Defensive Coordinator) leads a staff featuring Jamar Cain (Defensive Line Coach) and Michael Wilhoite (Outside Linebackers Coach).
5. Bills – 9 points: Buffalo’s staff includes Ronald Curry (Quarterbacks Coach) and Adam Henry (Wide Receivers Coach).
6. Chiefs – 7 points: Kansas City is represented by Dave Merritt (Defensive Backs Coach) and Rod Wilson (Outside Linebackers Coach), among others.
7. Chargers – 5 points: Los Angeles features Navorro Bowman (Linebackers Coach) and Marcus Brady (Passing Game Coordinator).

NFC Seedings

1. Buccaneers – 18 points: Todd Bowles leads Tampa Bay with standout coaches like Larry Foote (Pass Game Coordinator/Linebackers Coach) and Rashad Johnson (Assistant Secondary Coach).
2. Vikings – 16 points: Brian Flores has revitalized Minnesota’s defense. The team also employs Daronte Jones (Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach) and Keenan McCardell (Wide Receivers Coach), among others.
3. Commanders – 14 points: Washington’s staff includes Ken Norton Jr. (Linebackers Coach), former OC Brian Johnson (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Pass Game Coordinator), and Bobby Engram (Wide Receivers Coach).
4. Lions – 13 points: Detroit features Aaron Glenn (Defensive Coordinator), Antwaan Randle El (Wide Receivers Coach), and Kelvin Sheppard (Linebackers Coach).
5. Eagles – 10 points: Jemal Singleton (Running Backs Coach/Assistant Head Coach), Aaron Moorehead (Wide Receivers coach), Clint Hurtt (Senior Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line coach), and Christian Parker (Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach) headline Philadelphia’s staff.
6. Packers – 9 points: Green Bay’s staff includes Ben Sirmans (Running Backs Coach) and Derrick Ansley (Passing Game Coordinator - Defense).
7. Rams – 8 points: Los Angeles features Aubrey Pleasant (Pass Game Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach) and former Eagles DC Sean Desai (Senior Defensive Assistant/Associate Head Coach).