Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive creativity is ready for take off
After an abysmal first 3 quarters of play and a stunning 4th quarter come back that resulted in a tie, Kliff Kingsbury and the Arizona Cardinals will look to capitalize on their momentum
The first game of the season started horribly for the Cardinals and their new offense. Questions regarding the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury began to circulate social media and fans were getting ready to prepare for another long season. After one half of play, the Cardinals were down 17-3 and had only gained 58 yards on offense.
Things were looking bleak. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury took the blame for the poor start after game saying, “I did a poor job early of trying to be too cute and over creative. …I was just trying to score points.”
But score points they did, as Kyler Murray and the offense started to find a groove in the fourth quarter. Things seemed to slow down for the rookie signal caller, as Kingsbury started to find plays that he was comfortable with.
In the fourth quarter, Murray connected on 15 of 19 passes for 154 yards and two touchdown passes (including a two-point conversion) to tie things up before the end of regulation. The Detroit Lions had a 90% win probability at the 2-minute warning — all of which was erased by a rookie head coach and quarterback.
Questions about the off-season hiring quickly evaporated and turned into excitement and optimism about the future of this franchise. Albeit the game ended in a tie, it certainly felt like a win, especially after a horrific 3-13 campaign in 2018.
It’s certainly something the team can build on. It’s a step in the right direction. It’s the type of comeback that can ignite a team early in the season.
It also proves that the Cardinals front office made the right choice in not only hiring Kingsbury, but rolling the dice on Murray to lead this team. It’s his team now — and his cool, calm demeanor is proof-positive of that.
Now that Kyler Murray has his bearings, look for Kingsbury to start unveiling more of what has long been anticipated — an explosive, innovative offense that can take over the NFL. It will not “pretty boy football”, it’ll be fast, can’t keep up football and the league will take notice.
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The Arizona Cardinals will have a target on their backs this season; it’s up to them to go out and punch opposing defenses in the mouth and prove their naysayers wrong.