After his first taste of success with the Carolina Panthers in 2013, coach Ron Rivera was seemingly on the verge of being fired just one year later. Under Rivera, the Panthers won 12 games in just his third season at the helm and captured their fifth divisional title in franchise history before falling to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs.
A rough 3-7-1 start to 2014 led many to believe Rivera would be fired during the scheduled bye week. His career 28-30 record to that point left much to be desired but then-owner Jerry Richardson stood by his man.