STATE FARM STADIUM – The Arizona Cardinals fired former head coach Kliff Kingsbury at the end of the 2022 season.

Nearly two full years later, he has his revenge.

Kingsbury’s offense lifted the Washington Commanders to a 42-14 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday, dropping Arizona to 1-3 on the season with two more tough road tests in San Francisco and Green Bay in the next two weeks.

Washington’s offense — led by No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels (who is also having a homecoming of sorts after first starting his college career at Arizona State) — scored more than 35 points for a second straight week, moving the ball ran with ease and stayed open. recipients far too often.

All in all, it was a masterclass from Kingsbury in a stadium that saw few of them in his previous NFL stint.

As for his rookie quarterback, Daniels finished the game 26-30 passing for 233 yards, one touchdown/interception each. He also added 47 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.

The Commanders scored on 7 of 9 offense for a total of 449 net yards. They punted just once and went 9-12 on third downs.

It was clearly personal for Kingsbury, who was clearly having fun on the sidelines.

The Cardinals knew it would be difficult to sled against a player like Daniels, who can hurt you both on the ground and through the air.

“He’s obviously a very unique player to play against because of his skill set. He has unique skills, but he can use them anywhere. He can extend plays. He can throw it down the field. A big player,” Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said earlier this week.

Arizona’s offense scored on their opening drive and then stalled in a big way, not being able to find the scoreboard again until 11 seconds left in the third quarter. Arizona itself fell 4-11 on third down and completely lost its identity for most of the action.

From start to finish, it was a dominant performance from Washington, and thanks to a familiar face, the Cardinals now find themselves in an early-season hole.

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