3 bold predictions for the rest of the Cardinals 2021 season
By Sion Fawkes
Kingsbury wins Coach of the Year
Last January, I wrote an article about why the Cardinals needed to consider firing Kliff Kingsbury. Here we are in November and Kingsbury has already surpassed his win total from last season. He entered 2021 with a 13-18-1 record, and mathematically, he can double his win total in Year 3 of his coaching tenure in Arizona.
If he finishes 13-4, he’s a strong candidate to win Coach of the Year. But if the Cardinals cash in on home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, he’s a lock to win the award.
Kingsbury took a team that collapsed last season, partially because of Kyler Murray‘s AC joint injury and the coach’s questionable playcalling. Penalties were also a factor, but Kingsbury’s head-scratching decisions in 2020 made you wonder whether the coach who finished with a 35-40 record at Texas Tech was cut out for the job.
At least in 2021, he’s become one of the league’s elite coaches. If nothing else, the Cardinals, for the first time in forever, have a young coach/quarterback combo with dynasty potential.