Enough was enough for the New Orleans Saints ownership group.
Sunday’s abysmal 23-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers ended up being the final straw. As a result of the defeat, head coach Dennis Allen was relieved of his duties effective immediately.
It’s been a weird season for the Saints. Out of the gate, people saw a fast, dynamic team. The team scored a combined 91 points in blowout wins over the Panthers and Cowboys. Sitting at 2-0, people though that the Saints could be the class of the very winnable NFC South.
Think again.
Since the 44-19 win over the Cowboys in Dallas, New Orleans has lost seven games in a row. Three of those games (Philadelphia, at Atlanta, at Carolina) were lost by a combined six points. Allen’s career record with New Orleans was a pedestrian 18-25.
Given the rich history of this franchise, coupled with the alluring aspects of the city itself, the Saints should be routinely competing for a spot in the postseason. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020. Barring a total reversal, this will be the fourth-straight season without an appearance in the playoffs. The future of aging signal-caller Derek Carr is a major question mark at this point. The same can be said for veterans Alvin Kamara and Cam Jordan.
Replacing Allen as the interim coach is longtime special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.
