New Orleans Saints fire Dennis Allen after humiliating Week 9 defeat to Panthers

The New Orleans Saints have parted ways with head coach Dennis Allen, as reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.

This decision follows a narrow 23-22 loss to Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers, a team widely regarded as the league's punching bag this season. The defeat marked the Saints' seventh consecutive loss after a promising 2-0 start.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Saints assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi is anticipated to step in as the interim head coach for the rest of the season.

Saints fans were seemingly at their wits' end, and it felt like the team was in that same boat. Dennis Allen had admitted himself that he knew this was a results-based business. Something was clearly amiss within the organization, a point highlighted after their humiliating loss to the Broncos.

Change was critical for New Orleans, but it remained uncertain if they even knew what truly needed to shift or if they were simply hoping injuries would magically resolve deeper-rooted issues. The Saints were in significant trouble, and there were many questions about whether they knew how to address it. Sacking Allen is at least a first step in the right direction.

The Saints' seventh consecutive loss, a narrow 23-22 defeat to the Panthers in Week 9, was the tipping point for Dennis Allen's tenure as head coach. With their record slipping to 2-7 and falling into last place in the NFC South, the Saints chose to part ways with Allen on Monday following the disappointing loss in Carolina.

New Orleans had initially shown promise with a 2-0 start, but offensive setbacks due to major injuries and severe defensive lapses sent them spiraling into a prolonged losing streak. After Allen was elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach, following Sean Payton's resignation, he led the team to a disappointing 18-25 record, far below expectations for a playoff-caliber NFC South contender.

While Allen's run with the Saints fared better than his earlier stint with the Raiders a decade ago (where he went 8-28), the Saints’ struggles ultimately stemmed from underperformance and defensive collapse under his leadership.

The Saints are set to proceed with assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Rizzi as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2024 season. However, Rizzi might not be in line for the permanent position heading into next year, especially with a substantial rebuild anticipated for the Saints in 2025.

Allen had been part of the organization since 2015, initially taking on the role of defensive coordinator under former head coach Sean Payton for six years. During his three seasons as the head coach, Allen achieved only one winning season, failed to secure a playoff berth, and compiled an overall record of 18-25.

The recent coaching move comes ahead of the Saints' Week 10 divisional showdown against their long-time rival the Atlanta Falcons (6-3) this Sunday. Will we get to see a new head coach (or interim head coach in this case!) bounce?