How Kliff Kingsbury Feels As Washington Commanders Head Into Playoffs

The Washington Commanders offensive coordinator is excited heading into the playoffs.

Nov 24, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury stands on the field during warmup prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Alas, the Washington Commanders are set to return to the postseason. They've been a mediocre club in recent history, so their playoff berth is special for many reasons. Not only did they secure double-digits and find their way to the playoffs with a rookie quarterback leading the way, but they had their best record in a season since 1991.

The Commanders' turnaround was rapid, too. Last season, they won just four games before cleaning the house from top to bottom.

With a new coaching staff and roster in place, Washington posted a 12-5 record, led by Jayden Daniels, who they selected No. 2 overall in the recent draft. Dan Quinn made his mark as a head coach in the NFL after being fired in a previous opportunity. Beyond that, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has been turning his career around, too.

After the job he's done this season, Kingsbury is getting looks for head coaching vacancies and is seen as a contender for the Chicago Bears job.

How does Kingsbury feel heading back to the playoffs, though?

“It is, it's very exciting. It's hard to get here," Kingsbury said. "I think that's what these young players need to understand, is that there's a lot of veterans that have played 10-12 years. It's like the third time, second time they've even got in. And we got in the one year in Arizona and it was not a great game, but it was a lot of work to get there.

"And so, I think just being in the moment, understanding how fortunate we are to be in this position and we won the last four games on the last play and it can go like that in this league. So, we got to make sure we appreciate and take advantage of the opportunity.”

For Kingsbury, he's heading into a matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- a Week 1 rematch -- looking for vengeance after taking a 37-20 loss in that first contest.

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