The Tennessee Titans’ firing of head coach Brian Callahan this week has cleared the way for the NFL’s first interim coach of the 2025 season.
Many will collectively suggest that Tennessee should be taken seriously this week because of what is often referred to as the “interim coaching bump,” a perceived boost in performance inspired by a change in leadership. However, history suggests that Mike McCoy is far from certain to lead the Titans to victory when they host the 4-2 New England Patriots on Sunday.
According to NFL Research, interim coaches are 20-30 in their first game since 2000 and 9-9 since 2018.
Last year, three coaches were fired during the season: Robert Saleh (fired by the Jets on October 8), Dennis Allen (fired by the Saints on November 4) and Matt Eberflus (fired by the Bears on November 29). Two of the three coaches who were selected on an interim basis lost their first game in their new roles; Promoted special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi was able to get a win in his debut, a 20-17 Saints win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10.
The numbers put Tennessee’s chances of winning somewhere between 40 and 50 percent, but some might argue that McCoy is different than the average interim coach because he served as the Chargers’ head coach from 2013-16.