One of the more interesting storylines from the 2026 National Football League regular season so far is that four coaches won their first game ever as a NFL head coach. Let’s take a look at who they were.
Joe Brady
The Bills won one of the more exciting games on the weekend as they defeated the Houston Texans 36-31. Joe Brady of Pembroke Pines, Florida was named Buffalo’s head coach on January 27 after the team fired Sean McDermott. The Bills got the win thanks to a 34-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Josh Palmer. There is no doubt that expectations are high in Buffalo and they are supposed to be a Super Bowl contender. One positive for the Bills players is the familiarity factor that Brady has with the Bills organization. That is because he was the Bills offensive coordinator the last two years.
Klint Kubiak
The native of Houston, Texas won a Super Bowl last year as the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator. On Sunday, Kubiak guided the Las Vegas Raiders to a 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins. Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty of Jacksonville, Florida was the Raiders star as he had 147 total yards and two touchdowns.
Mike Lafleur
In the biggest upset of the weekend, the Arizona Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 as an eight point underdog. It was a great coaching performance by Mike Lafleur of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, as the Cardinals dominated the game after the Chargers pulled within two points in the third quarter. Lafleur took over from Jonathan Gannon as Arizona’s coach on February 1. He was the offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams the last three years.
Jesse Minter
Speaking of the Chargers, the new Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter of Little Rock, Arkansas was the Chargers defensive coordinator the last two years. On Sunday, the Ravens defeated the Indianapolis Colts 41-23 thanks to a spectacular performance by Derrick Henry of Yulee, Florida (144 yards rushing and three touchdowns).
