Shanahan Favored, McDermott Second In Line To Win AP Coach Of The Year

Kyle Shanahan has orchestrated an impressive turnaround for the San Francisco 49ers. They’ve gone from outhouse to penthouse in the NFC standings and that’s landed Shanahan as the favorite to win the Associated Press Head Coach of the Year award. However, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh are not far behind. Who is the best bet to win this award?

KYLE SHANAHAN, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
ODDS: +200

The clear favorite is Shanahan, not just because the San Francisco 49ers are in position to get the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but because the 49ers were a losing team last year. San Francisco was 4-12 and a bad team all around. Many will remember that Jimmy Garoppolo was injured and while that was a big factor, there was more than that. The receivers and the defense also struggled, there were a lot of gaps and flaws the team needed to fix. Shanahan has put the pieces together in one year, building an elite team which is strong on both sides of the ball and can win games in many different ways. The 49ers are a team which beat the Washington Redskins, 9-0 and beat the New Orleans Saints, 48-46.

They have a bright future with Garoppolo, a young receiving corps, and a defensive filled with elite talent. This likely isn’t a one-year aberration; the 49ers should be here to stay for a little while.

SEAN MCDERMOTT, BUFFALO BILLS
ODDS: +400

The Buffalo Bills face the Steelers and the New England Patriots in their next two games. If the Bills win both games, they will lead the AFC East because they will have split head-to-head games with the Patriots and will win a tiebreaker with New England. If McDermott can pull that off, he’ll be a genuine contender for the head coach of the year. The challenge is that Buffalo has struggled against teams with a winning record.

Even so, McDermott has guided the Bills to a strong season – even if they’ve mostly beaten up on cupcakes. The Bills haven’t won 10 games since 1999. If he can achieve that this year, that would be a huge accomplishment.

JOHN HARBAUGH, BALTIMORE RAVENS
ODDS: +475

The Harbaugh candidacy is very strong but Lamar Jackson will win NFL MVP and that will be seen as the main reason the Ravens have risen to the top seed in the AFC. If Harbaugh is to win the coach of the year award, the 49ers and Bills must both stumble down the stretch. Not one, but both San Francisco and Buffalo have to take a tumble. If that occurs and the Ravens win out to finish 14-2, Harbaugh will have a very good chance of claiming this award.

2019 AP COACH OF THE YEAR ODDS

KYLE SHANAHAN +200
SEAN MCDERMOTT +400
JOHN HARBAUGH +475
MIKE TOMLIN +500
MATT LAFLEUR +1000
PETE CARROLL +1000
ANDY REID +1400
SEAN PAYTON +1400
BILL BELICHICK +2000
MATT NAGY +3300

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