For the National Football League, the end of the regular season Monday marked the beginning of something else. Can the league finally begin to make headway on hiring coaches of color?

Three coaches were fired Monday, and of all the major American sports leagues that have significant racial diversity, the NFL has the worst record in hiring coaches of color. This season, 13% of NFL coaches were minorities, compared with 74% of players. That declined further Monday; one of the three fired coaches is Black.

Yet elsewhere Monday, diversity made gains. The Boston Red Sox announced that it has hired Bianca Smith as a minor league coach, making her the first Black woman to coach in professional baseball. And in November, the Miami Marlins went further, making Kim Ng the first female general manager in any of the major men’s pro leagues. Last week, assistant coach Becky Hammon became the first woman to take charge of a National Basketball Association team during a game when the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs was ejected.

Barriers are falling, and many Black coaches in the NFL are distinguishing themselves, whether coach of the year candidate Brian Flores or offensive mastermind Eric Bienemy. The coming month is not just the road to the Super Bowl, but a chance to take a step forward.