What is the best way to determine who are the best coaches in the NFL? The win-loss record is how most coaches are ranked, but that doesn’t always seem quite fair due to the ownership, front office, and roster that they must coach around. So, is there a better way to rank coaches?
One metric that does a great job of showing who are the best coaches in the NFL is the against the spread (ATS) record. It shows how often a coach and a team are outperforming expectations. Coaches with a low cover percentage usually don’t last very long in the NFL. Browns and Bengals fans and folks jumping into Ohio sports betting know that well.
So, which coaches in the NFL have the best record against the spread during their coaching careers? Here is a look at how every coach in the NFL has done ATS dating back to the 2003 season.
NFL Coaches Against the Spread
There are plenty of Ohio betting apps to consider when considering a bet on the NFL. Maybe these ATS histories can inform your decisions.
Taylor Places High in ATS Rankings
One of the best coaches in the NFL over the last two seasons has been Zac Taylor as the Bengals have a combined record of 22-11 since 2021. The main reason they’ve had so much success has been due to quarterback Joe Burrow, but the Bengals consistently have outperformed expectations. Despite being favorites in a lot of games over the last two seasons, they are 27-13 ATS (including the postseason), which means they have covered 67.5% of the time. Keep a close eye all season on the Bengals’ Super Bowl odds.
Including 2019 and 2020 (Joe Burrow’s rookie season), Taylor and the Bengals have covered the spread 60 percent of their games. That is the third-highest cover rate among all active head coaches. For whatever reason, Taylor doesn’t get the same amount of national attention as some of the other elite coaches in the NFL. But his track record shows that he is one of the top head coaches in the game right now.
The ”other” Ohio coach on the list is Kevin Stefanski, who comes in at No. 27 on the list. Stefanski is widely regarded as a good coach as he led the Browns to a playoff win during the 2020 season. Unfortunately, the Browns have underperformed the last two seasons. During the 2021 season, the Browns were 7-10 ATS. They were slightly better last season, going 8-9. How will they do in 2023? Following the Browns playoff chances to stay in the know.
The Browns play in one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL (AFC North), but the expectations are high going into 2023. With Deshaun Watson entering Year 2, the Browns need to start covering more spreads and winning more games. If they fail to make the postseason again, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Browns moved on from Stefanski despite him being their most successful head coach in the last two decades.
You can’t count on BetOhio.com for complete sports betting coverage of the Bengals and Browns. But did you know you always can find stories about Michigan-Ohio State and 2024 Ohio political betting odds?
