When the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans clinched first-round byes last weekend, they unintentionally invited teams in need of head coaches to interview their coveted defensive coordinators next week.

Both the Giants and Titans will be off, which means New York defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, and Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger each could be asked to interview for head coaching jobs that pop open next week.

Any team that wants to interview Spagnuolo, Gilbride, Schwartz or Heimerdinger, some of the most sought-after assistants on the open market, is going to have to do it next week. It could lead to a busy week for the coordinators as they prepare for head-coaching interviews in one moment, and begin to get ready for their team’s divisional playoff game in the next.

And there are more interviews riding on the results of Sunday’s game. Should New England fall short of winning the AFC East title or fail to advance to the postseason, then Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels would be allowed to interview for a head coaching job sooner than if the Patriots season continued on.

These are some of the storylines of the NFL’s fifth quarter, which often turns into the league’s wildest and most unpredictable time.

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