The Washington Commanders' offense has shown signs of life under new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, with rookie Jayden Daniels leading the way.
While being 0-6 in the red zone against the New York Giants last week isn't ideal, Daniels still managed to lead a game-winning drive to set up kicker Austin Seibert to kick his seventh field goal of the day.
I specifically covered:
Kliff Kingsbury's Coaching Journey: From Texas Tech to the NFL
Washington revamped its offense by selecting quarterback Jayden Daniels second overall in April, but before then, the team hired Kingsbury to run its offense.
The decision to hire Kingsbury likely had a lot to do with his experience working with skilled quarterbacks, and his entire background is on the offensive side of football.
With some fans potentially unaware that Kingsbury was back in the league in 2024, here's a look at his coaching history between both college football and the NFL.
Following a playing career as a quarterback that included four record-setting years at Texas Tech, being drafted by the Patriots, and spending time with five NFL teams, Kingsbury joined Houston as a quality control coach in 2008.
At the time, Case Keenum was Houston's starting quarterback. Keenum would set all kinds of records for the Cougars and the NCAA in his time with the program. He finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2009.
To date, Keenum has the most career completions, passing yards, and 300-plus passing yard games in NCAA Division I history.
The success of Houston's offense and Keenum earned Kingsbury a promotion, as he was named quarterbacks coach in 2010. He also earned co-offensive coordinator duties, which he split with Jason Phillips in 2011.
With Kingsbury and Phillips running the offense, Houston led the country in points per game (49.3) and total yards per game (599.1). As Kingsbury proved himself as a strong offensive mind, he kept moving up the coaching ladder.
Kingsbury became Texas A&M's offensive coordinator in 2012, taking on that role full-time for the first time in his coaching career.
That season, he coached Johnny Manziel to the Heisman Trophy, and the Aggies ranked top-five nationally in points per game (44.5), passing yards per game (355.9) and total yards per game (558.5).
Leading some of the nation's top offenses quickly earned Kingsbury a head coaching job after just one season at Texas A&M.
After the 2012 season, his alma mater, Texas Tech, hired him on a five-year deal as head coach. Just 33 years old at the time, Kingsbury became the third-youngest head coach in college football.
Continuing to coach quarterbacks that would later become big names in the NFL, Kingsbury picked Baker Mayfield, who was then a walk-on true freshman, to start the season opener in 2013. Mayfield earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week in a 41-23 win for the Red Raiders, but an injury later gave Davis Webb the starting job.
The Red Raiders became an AP Poll Top 25 team in September 2013, and they started the season 7-0 behind their first-year head coach. However, Texas Tech lost its final five games, and Mayfield later transferred to Oklahoma.
Kingsbury signed a contract extension with Texas Tech in 2014, upping him to a $3.5 million salary with the deal set to expire in 2020.
Patrick Mahomes was the Red Raiders' quarterback from 2014-2016, but the team's defense struggled, leading it to finish the next few seasons with some losing records and a 7-6 record in 2015.
Kingsbury was let go by Texas Tech after the 2018 season.
After originally joining USC as its offensive coordinator but later backing out, Kingsbury was hired as the Cardinals' next head coach in January 2019.
Making the jump to the NFL despite Texas Tech's overall struggles in his past few seasons, Kingsbury was viewed as a top-tier offensive mind and perfect fit with perspective No. 1 pick, Kyler Murray, who the Cardinals eventually selected.
The best finish Arizona had under Kingsbury came in 2021 when it made the playoffs at 11-6, but the Cardinals lost to the Rams in the playoffs that season. In 2022, Kingsbury signed an extension with the team, but after a 4-13 record the next season, the Cardinals fired him.
After his head coaching stints in college football and the NFL, Kingsbury spent a year at USC as a senior offensive assistant under Lincoln Riley.
As Kingsbury coached yet another Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Caleb Williams, the Trojans finished 8-5 on the season.
Kingsbury was hired as the Commanders' next offensive coordinator in February. Having worked with a dynamic two-way talent at quarterback in Murray before, he brings an experienced mind as Washington gets adjusted to Daniels' play style.
How Will the Commanders' Offense Look Under Kingsbury?
While the experiences came at two different levels of football, as a head coach between Texas Tech and the Cardinals, Kingsbury has an overall record of 63-77-1. He's spent time as an offensive mind for various other programs, but teams with Kingsbury as their head coach have an overall losing record.
Here's the breakdown of that record between Kingsbury's college football and NFL head coaching experience.
The Commanders will establish the run early against the Bengals, working to open up the pass for Daniels later in the game. Cincinnati's struggles to stop the run and their injuries in the trenches will leave them vulnerable to the run, but it has been tough to throw against. The Bengals have allowed only one passing play of 20-plus yards this season. The Commanders rank 20th in offensive DVOA and Daniels averages the lowest intended air yards per (4.4) — the Bengals' secondary presents a stiff challenge.
On the other side of the ball, Cincinnati could be without Higgins again. Even if he does play, I'm not convinced he'll be healthy enough and game-ready to significantly boost the home team's offensive attack. Cincy is average in most offensive metrics and needs to get the most out of its passing game (third-highest passing rate) to succeed given the ineffectiveness of the ground game.
Can Jayden Daniels Lead the Commanders to Success?
The Commanders' offense is among the league’s most efficient offenses despite scoring only three touchdowns over the first two games.
The Bengals are 7.5-point spread favorites, and the game total is 47.5 points scored.
Washington has run the football effectively this season, ranking 5th in rushing yards (176.5) per game. Daniels' passing attack hasn't been as lethal, as the Heisman Trophy winner has averaged 185.5 passing yards (20th) with zero touchdowns. The Commanders are lacking production at receiver, as its top two pass-catchers are RB Austin Ekeler and TE Zach Ertz. Sixth-year pro Terry McLaurin, who is coming off four straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, has been held to eight receptions for 39 yards through two games.
Washington has enough working in their favor to keep this game within a touchdown — a primetime performance from Daniels will be the difference in this game.
While the Commanders' offense has faced its share of challenges, the team's early success in the rushing attack gives them a solid foundation to build upon. Daniels has shown flashes of brilliance, but it's still early in his career. As he gains experience and grows more comfortable in Kingsbury's offense, the Commanders have the potential to be a real threat in the NFC.
