The Arizona Cardinals need wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to have an immediate impact in his return from suspension to stay in the playoff picture, and his coach may need it to keep his job.
Arizona plays host to New Orleans on Thursday night with the Cardinals (2-4) last in the NFC West and ahead of only two teams in the conference. There is plenty of time for Arizona to turn its season around, but potentially only one more time for Kliff Kingsbury to prove he’s the coach to lead it.
Kingsbury was installed as the +150 favorite by SportsBetting.ag to be the next coach fired after Carolina let go of Matt Rhule last week. The Cardinals then went out and failed to score an offensive touchdown in a 19-9 loss at Seattle.
Kingsbury is now the odd-on favorite at -105 at the sportsbook, well ahead of Denver’s embattled first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett (+200).
Next NFL Coach Fired Odds
–Kliff Kingsbury, Cardinals: -105
–Nathaniel Hackett, Broncos: +200
–Ron Rivera, Commanders, +300
–Frank Reich, Colts: +1200
–Dan Campbell, Lions: +1600
–Kevin Stefanski, Browns: +2200
–Matt Eberflus, Bears: +3300
At the heart of the issue is Kingsbury’s once-potent offense.
The Cardinals rank 16th in total yards per game (346.0), a number that is inflated while playing from behind in most contests this season. Arizona ranks 22nd in points per game (19.0) after averaging 16 over the past four weeks – and that includes a defensive touchdown last week.
Hopkins returns from his six-game suspension on Thursday night and will step into an overhaul receiving corps from just last Sunday. The Cardinals lost Marquise Brown for at least a month to a foot injury and acquired veteran Robbie Anderson from the Panthers.
“I hope that he can provide just a spark,” Kingsbury said of Hopkins. “The way he competes and his play making, his after-the-catch stuff, he’s a guy you get it close to him he’s going to make a play on the ball.”
Meanwhile, Hackett continues to be heavily criticized for the Broncos’ poor offense and questionable in-game decisions after Denver also fell to 2-4 on Monday night. However, he is expected to at least be given a full season to right the ship.
In a more tenuous positions would appear to be Rivera. Now in his third season with the Commanders, Rivera is turning back to Taylor Heinicke with Carson Wentz sidelined by a finger injury.
Rivera may have earned a bit more breathing room with a hard-fought win last week, but it came against 2-4 Chicago and Washington still enters Week 7 two games behind Dallas for third in the NFC East.
Following Sunday’s home game against Green Bay, Washington travels to Indianapolis before playing host to Minnesota. It could be a critical three-game stretch in determining Rivera’s future with the Commanders.
–Field Level Media