MADRID (AP) — Kliff Kingsbury knows his way around Europe, from his time vacationing in Spain to his playing career with the Cologne Centurions in Germany.
The Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator has returned to Europe this week with a tough task: help the Commanders (3-7) snap a five-game losing streak Sunday when they face the Miami Dolphins (3-7) in the NFL’s last international game of the season.
Kingsbury said it has been a challenge to deal with so many injuries, but he arrived in Madrid celebrating a healthy offensive line that could be key in helping the Commanders end their poor run.
The line — first-round pick Josh Conerly Jr., Laremy Tunsil, Tyler Biadasz, Chris Paul and Sam Cosmi, who just returned from an injury — has been playing well in recent weeks.
"Yeah, it’s been a good group,” Kingsbury said. “I think we’ve had the same starting lineup for about three weeks straight, which has been nice, and I think each week we’ve gotten better as a unit.
"Watching Josh kind of come along has been really exciting, and then Cosmi getting his legs back, has definitely improved, that has been a consistent group for us this season, and we need it,” he said.
Kingsbury said it’s been a unique experience coping with the absence of all the injured players, including star quarterback Jayden Daniels, wide receiver Terry McLaurin and running back Austin Ekeler.
"But I’ve been really proud of the guys who have stepped up," Kingsbury said. "I thought last week, some guys made plays for us that just got here, and are playing hard, playing with great effort."
The Commanders are coming off a 44-22 loss to the Detroit Lions at home. Kingsbury's offense was held to seven points against the Kansas City Chiefs and to 14 points against the Seattle Seahawks.
Kingsbury said the trip to Madrid presents a good change of scenery for the team.
“Just to come together as a team on the road, playing a new city, an awesome environment, that’ll be revved up,” he said. “I think that’ll be really good for us.”
Kingsbury said he was among the few Commanders who had visited Madrid in the past.
"Huge fan of the city, been here before on vacation, so it’s been awesome,” he said. “There’s probably three guys that have been here prior, so to everybody else it’s been a new experience, and it’s been cool to see them enjoy.”
Kingsbury said he is a big soccer fan and was thrilled by the chance to play at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
“Really excited about that,” he said. “The play where (Kylian) Mbappé and Cristiano (Ronaldo) played will be pretty special for me, personally, and I know our team is excited about it as well.”
Kingsbury was a New York Jets quarterback when he was allocated to the Cologne Centurions in NFL Europe in 2006.
“That was an awesome experience,” he said. “I got to see some incredible places I never would have gotten to, so for our players to get a chance to do that and see the fanfare, and just the excitement of the city, it’s really special.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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