Through the first 12 games of the 2021 NFL season, the Cardinals were red-hot and shocked everyone. They were 10-2, on top of the NFC West, and were vying for the #1 seed. Even with Kyler Murray missing three games, they still went 2-1. The Cardinals looked like a well-rounded, well-oiled machine that was a year ahead of schedule. However, over the last three weeks, the Cardinals are 0-3, with a humiliating 30-12 loss to the Detroit Lions. Most recently, the Cardinals lost to an undermanned Colts team that played with a backup offensive line.
Before the 2021 season, there were questions regarding third-year Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. In 2020, the Cardinals were off to a 6-3 start but ended the season 8-8. Making people question whether or not Kingsbury was good at second-half adjustments. The Cardinals were busy during the 2021 off-season acquiring seasoned veterans like J.J. Watt, A.J. Green, and even Rodney Hudson. Yet, skeptics still pointed to Kliff Kingsbury’s head coaching abilities as the team’s downfall. Those questions seemed to dissipate as the Cardinals climbed to the top of the NFC but have come back up during this three-game skid.
After the Cardinal’s loss to the Colts, a stat was posted that showed a glaring issue with the Kingsbury-led teams.
Kliff Kingsbury has a history of second-half slumps dating back to his first year at Texas Tech.
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) December 28, 2021
His teams have been good in their first 7 games but then fall off.
The Cardinals are 15-5-1 in games 1-7 under Kingsbury but 8-18 the rest of the season.
At TTU: 27-15 then 8-25 pic.twitter.com/HNiDgEW8Ep
There are a few different ways to interpret this stat due to the multitude of factors that play into it. But, essentially, when Kliff Kingsbury has more time to prepare, his team is healthier, and the weather is warmer, his team wins more. Vice versa, when the weather is frigid, his team battles injuries, and the weeks get shorter, his team loses twice as much as they win. Which, if you’re a head coach in the NFL, won’t keep your job safe for very long. If you’re going to be a successful long-tenured head coach in the NFL, you have to be excellent at all times.
Great Coaches vs Good Coaches
There’s a big difference between the great NFL coaches and the good ones. Coaches like Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, and Andy Reid are known for being great adjustors as the season goes on. Belichick is historically known for fielding better teams in the second half of the season. Since Pete Carroll came to Seattle, he’s been known for being a great half-time adjustor. Andy Reid is almost unstoppable on bye-weeks, and coaches like Sean McVay, Mike Vrabel, and Sean McDermott are working their way into the upper echelon.
So many coaches have a signature calling card, but Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t appear to have one. Being labeled as a first-half of the season coach isn’t a title he wants either. Plenty of head coaches win their games in September-November, but the real test starts in December. Given Kingsbury’s track record, this could very well be the type of head coach he is. He’s a solid offensive mind whose team gets worse as the season progresses. There’s always the potential for him to fix this problem, but that begs the question, will the Cardinals give him that time?
Next season will be year four for Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury. Without a doubt, the Cardinals will exercise Kyler’s fifth-year option and, more than likely will extend him. Whether or not Kingsbury remains the head coach is still up in the air. The Cardinals general manager has done an outstanding job drafting talent and choosing free agents to bring to the team. Depending on how this year ends, the team will need to address the ever-so-growing elephant in the room.
Is Kliff Kingsbury the coach who will take this team to a Super Bowl?
Not Time to Panic
When the Cardinals first hired Kliff Kingsbury, the move was met with criticism. How could a coach who wasn’t good in college be suited for the NFL? Though Kingsbury has been better than advertised thus far, the doubters will continue to doubt until he proves them wrong. Last season, it appeared as though he was going to prove them wrong until he didn’t. This season, though the team is better, they’re once again collapsing, and Kliff Kingsbury is taking the brunt of the blame.
As I said, there’s always the potential for Kliff Kingsbury to break this bad habit. Andy Reid used to be known for his mismanagement in the playoffs but has clearly righted that ship. So to say that this is who Kingsbury will be for perpetuity is simply not true. The Cardinals have locked up a playoff spot with games against Dallas and Seattle remaining. In other words, the Cardinals have two more games to get their season back on track and build momentum heading into the playoffs.
The perception of Kliff Kingsbury this off-season will be based entirely on how the Cardinals perform from here on out. The best-case scenario for Kliff Kingsbury would be that the Cardinals win their last two games and win at least one playoff game. Even if they don’t win their last two games of the season, winning a playoff game will keep Kingsbury’s job safe. However, if they lose their first playoff game, embarrassing fashion or not, the Cardinal’s head coaching search may ramp up.
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