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Kliff Kingsbury's Costly Timeout Likely Changed Cardinals Outcome

Coach Kingsbury made a costly mistake by calling a timeout on 4th down in which the Cardinals made the stop, the played didn't count has the timeout game 49ers a 2nd chance to score a TD, which they did, ending the first half.

Tyler Jaggi

On the final possession of the half, the 49ers reached the 1-yard line on third down and let the clock run down to four seconds before calling timeout. They went for it, and the Cardinals stuffed running back Jeff Wilson for a loss on what would have been the final play of the half. 

With just 4 seconds remaining, the the 49ers snapped the ball and ran right. The Cardinals were able to stop the run for a loss but unfortunately coach Kliff Kingsbury called a timeout before the snap.  The 49ers got another shot and Jimmy Garoppolo threw his third touchdown of the half, a 1-yarder to Sanders as time expired in the first half.

There had to be something that he saw that he did not like, but it ended up costing the Cardinals and allowing the 49ers another chance to score the touchdown. Which they did, and the Cardinals trailed 21-7 at the half.

Kliff Kingsbury is a rookie NFL head coach, but what he did last night might have been his biggest mistake of his young career. Let's just hope he learns from this egregious mistake he made as the first half wound down on Thursday night. 

Kingsbury said he thought the timeout would give his defense a chance to see what the 49ers wanted to do, but obviously in hindsight he wishes he hadn’t called it.

“I wanted to get a Kodak timeout, one of those looks at it,” Kingsbury said, “Wanted them to hopefully to burn their best play. Looking back on it, would have rather gotten that stop. That one didn’t work out for us and that’s on me.”

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Tyler Jaggi
TYLER JAGGI