WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sometimes, a change of scenery is all it takes. Kliff Kingsbury’s journey from being fired by the Arizona Cardinals in 2023 to leading the Washington Commanders’ offense has been nothing short of remarkable.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Kliff Kingsbury was hired as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator in February after being fired as the Arizona Cardinals head coach two years ago. In less than a year’s time as Washington’s offensive commander, he is going on a run through the postseason, winning his first NFL Playoff game as a coach.
LIVE: OC Kliff Kingsbury speaks to the media before practice https://t.co/czTerZjVa7
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 15, 2025
Kingsbury and the Commanders advanced to the NFC Divisional round with a 23-20 upset over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the final seconds of the NFC Wildcard matchup Sunday. They made their way to the NFC’s sixth seed with a 12-5 finish on the year that featured a 42-14 domination of his former team: The Cardinals.
The coach diced up his old squad, scoring five offensive touchdowns and positioning kicker Austin Seibert for two field goals. Four of those touchdowns came on the ground. First round rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels (8 carries, 47 yards, 1 TD) combined with running backs Brian Robinson Jr. (21 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD) and Jeremy McNichols (8 carries, 68 yards, 2 TDs) for the running scores and 216 yards. The Cardinals finished the season in the bottom half of the league at 20th against the run (126.4 yards per game). Daniels threw the fifth of the touchdown passes to wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
¡¡9 YARD RUSHING TOUCHDOWN FOR JAYDEN DANIELS!!
#Commanders 24-7 #Cardinals
pic.twitter.com/eflNJYFRw0— NFL Football Report (@NFL_Crazy_) September 29, 2024
Kingsbury’s young QB knows a thing or two about leaving Arizona and finding success, too.
Daniels played quarterback at Arizona State for three seasons before transferring to LSU. He would win the 2023 Heisman Trophy as a Tiger, cementing his spot as the Commanders’ first pick in last year’s draft.
It was a pick that worked in favor of him and his OC.
Though its only his first year in the league, Daniels earned his first playoff win the same day as Kingsbury. The former Cardinal head coach only made the playoffs one time in his four seasons with the team (2021), losing in the NFC Wildcard to the Los Angeles Rams — who just won the first home playoff game in the Cardinals’ stadium before the Cardinals.
This season’s 12-5 finish was Kingsbury’s best to date. His lone playoff year in Arizona was just shy of his first year as a Commander, ending at 11-6 and a short life in the postseason. He was 28-37 as the Cardinals’ man in charge.
Former ASU quarterback leads Commanders to first playoff win in 19 years
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona State, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
