In the wake of the Cardinals’ 34-11 dismantling by the Rams in Monday night’s Wild Card game, Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury may be solidifying a less-than-flattering reputation.
Dating back to his time at Texas Tech, Kingsbury’s teams have an alarming tendency to squander early-season success with poor finishes to their seasons.
One stat making the rounds on Tuesday, first pointed out in a tweet from The Action Network, details the damage.
(Texas Tech HC)
2013: lost 5 of last 6 games
2014: lost 4 of last 6 games
2015: lost 4 of last 6 games
2016: lost 6 of last 8 games
2017: lost 6 of last 8 games
2018: lost 5 of last 5 games
(Arizona Cardinals HC)
2019: lost 7 of last 9 games
2020: lost 5 of last 7 games
2021: lost 5 of last 6 games
This season, the Cardinals raced out to a 7-0 start and maintained the best record in the NFC through Week 13. Their play had many believing in the team’s Super Bowl chances, which cratered in the season’s final month and were dispatched Monday in easy fashion. The Cardinals trailed 21-0 by halftime, and ended with just 183 yards off offense and two turnovers in the rout.
After the loss, Kingsbury chalked the performance up to the team’s lack of playoff experience, admitting the Rams “outplayed us and outcoached us.”
Star defensive lineman J.J. Watt, who played just seven games this season after undergoing surgery for labrum and rotator cuff injuries, summed up Arizona’s season a little more bluntly.
“It was a massive failure,” Watt said. “From what we were capable of doing, to what we showed we can do, to today. There is no other way to describe it.”
“I agree,” said quarterback Kyler Murray when asked about Watt’s comment. “I play to win the Super Bowl.”
The loss brings into question Kingsbury’s future in Arizona. Online, fans and writers are calling for the coach’s firing. He has one year remaining on a four-year contract signed in 2019, and was considered to be coaching from the hot seat when this season began.
As recently as November, there have been rumors about Kingsbury’s possible return to the college ranks. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the University of Oklahoma was targeting Kingsbury for their vacancy after Lincoln Riley’s departure to USC.
It still would be surprising to see the Cardinals fire Kingsbury this offseason after an 11-7 record. Since 2000, only nine NFL coaches have been fired after producing winning seasons and only two after producing 11 or more regular season wins.
But after the late season collapse, Kingsbury could be coaching for his job once again in 2022.
