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Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals slammed in NFL Week 6 grades: 'Definitely on hot seat'

jeremy cluff, arizona republic
·5 min read
22
The Arizona Cardinals' Kliff Kingsbury didn't impress NFL writers with his coaching performance in the team's NFL Week 6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Arizona Cardinals' Kliff Kingsbury didn't impress NFL writers with his coaching performance in the team's NFL Week 6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Each week, some NFL writers and sites like to hand out grades for coaches and teams based on their performances in the previous game.

Their NFL Week 6 grades were particularly hard on Kliff Kingsbury and the Arizona Cardinals.

In fact, the Cardinals coach and his team were slammed in recent NFL report cards and grades for Week 6 of the season, a week that saw Arizona fall to the Seattle Seahawks, 19-9 and only score three points on offense.

Check out how NFL writers evaluated Kingsbury and his team for the loss.

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The Arizona Republic's Bob McManaman gave Kingsbury an "F" for his coaching performance on Sunday.

He wrote: "If I’m not mistaken, this could be the first time I’ve ever handed out an “F” on any Cardinals report card ever. On Sunday, it was deserving from this point of view. Kliff Kingsbury could have elected to kick two field goals early from a manageable distance that, if successful, could have tied the score at nine. Instead, he went for it on fourth down both times and it ended in disaster. So did a third such try, which led to a Murray interception. If you don't trust the kicker, bring in a new one until Matt Prater is healthy! Clock management once again was also a mess, especially late in the game. Kingsbury might be signed through 2027, but he’s definitely on the hot seat. His quarterback and his offense looked lost."

NFL Week 7 picks, predictions:

USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon gave the Cardinals' coaching staff an "F" for its Week 6 coaching job.

Tyler Dragon wrote: "The Cardinals offense was listless in a 19-9 loss at Seattle. Arizona went 4 of 16 on third down, got to the red zone twice (0 for 2) and had two turnovers. Coach Kliff Kingsbury should have decided to kick two field goals and take the points in the second half, but he decided to go for it on fourth down and the team failed to convert each time. It went 1 of 5 on fourth down in the loss.  Quarterback Kyler Murray was sacked six times and the Cardinals offense failed to produce a touchdown. Arizona doesn’t have any rhythm on offense. Hopkins, who returns from a six-game suspension in Week 7, can’t come back soon enough. The acquisition of Robbie Anderson should also help."

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Sports Illustrated's Kyler Burd also graded Kliff Kingsbury with an "F."

He wrote: "What other grade could be given to the head coach that engineered one of the most embarrassing Cardinals losses in the last several years?  The offensive incompetence of Arizona is a multi-faceted problem that includes bad offensive line play and bad quarterback play among others, but the onus is on the head coach to have his team ready to play. Kingsbury is consistently showing himself incapable of that simple task.  Kyler Murray was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 because of his insane natural talent. Rather than take steps forward every year under Kingsbury, Murray has slowly inched forward and, so far in 2022, is regressing.  Kingsbury was billed not only as an offensive guru but a quarterback whisperer. Whatever message Murray has been receiving this season has been a bad one. Due to the kicker situation with Matt Prater out another week, Kingsbury was ultra-aggressive on fourth down, a move that is defensible with an untrustworthy kicker However, his play-calling continues to involve designs that look good on paper but don't translate to success on the field.  Kingsbury looked completely out of his depth, especially in comparison to a veteran coach like Pete Carroll. Carroll's team did not play particularly well, but he maintained his composure and led his poorly equipped team to yet another victory. More and more, it looks like Kingsbury is not equipped to be a successful head coach in the NFL."

NFL Week 7 odds:

Yardbarker gave Arizona a "D" as a whole for its play against the Seahawks.

Sam Robinson wrote: "The Seahawks entered Week 6 with the NFL's worst defense. The Cardinals not only failed to score a touchdown against that unit; they managed only a field goal. Even without DeAndre Hopkins, this is beyond alarming for a team that just extended Kyler Murray and, for less clear reasons, Kliff Kingsbury. The Cardinals (2-4) cooled off Geno Smith, sacking him five times, but Murray could not outduel the journeyman. Arizona's 1-for-5 fourth-down figure certainly reflects poorly on Kingsbury, who signed a six-year extension alongside GM Steve Keim. At 30 and coming off an injury-plagued season, how much will Hopkins help? This scuffling offense needs him at a near-All-Pro level."

Announcers: Television broadcasters, announcing crews for Week 7 NFL schedule

CBS Sports also handed the Cardinals a "D" for their performance on Sunday.

John Breech wrote: "If the Cardinals were going to fix things on offense, this seemed like the game where they would do it: They were going up against a defense that was giving up the most yards per game heading into Week 6 and the second most points per game. The Cardinals offense just couldn't come up with a big play when the team needed it most: Arizona went 1-for-5 on fourth down and 4-for-16 on third down. Three of Arizona's fourth-down failures came from inside Seattle's 25-yard line. The only good news for the Cards is that they'll be getting DeAndre Hopkins back from suspension this week."

How to watch: NFL Week 7 schedule, television information

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: NFL Week 6 grades slam Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals