On Monday, Nov. 4, the New Orleans Saints fired Head Coach Dennis Allen after their seventh consecutive loss at the hands of the lowly Carolina Panthers (3-7). The Saints’ season, which started so brightly with back-to-back blowout wins against the Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, has since spiraled out of control. For a team that began the season with playoff aspirations, the Saints now sit at 3-7, as of Nov. 11, almost certainly guaranteeing that they will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight year, a far cry from the perennial contender they were just a few seasons ago.
A look at the Saints’ roster would seem to suggest that the team has clear playoff potential. Quarterback Derek Carr is a seasoned and capable veteran with over 40,000 career passing yards. Their top receiver, Chris Olave, posted back to back 1,000-yard seasons in his first two years in the league. They have Alvin Kamara in the backfield, one of the most versatile running backs in terms of both rushing and pass-catching ability, and hybrid quarterback/running back/tight end Taysom Hill. On the other side of the ball, they have 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young, defensive back Tyrann Mathieu and veterans Demario Davis and Cam Jordan, although the latter is in the twilight of his career. While this is a solid core that should have had the chance to compete for a division title in the NFC South, the story has played out far differently in 2024.
Injuries have been a major factor contributing to New Orleans’ collapse since the start of the season and have forced them into difficult situations. Carr missed three games with an oblique injury before returning to face Carolina, throwing rookie Spencer Rattler and second-year player Jake Haener into action. Olave has suffered two concussions, the first of which caused him to miss a tilt against the Denver Broncos, and the second of which required him to be stretchered off the field this past weekend against Carolina and taken to a local hospital. Rashid Shaheed, the team’s number two receiver, who is also known for his explosive kick and punt returns, was lost for the season after undergoing surgery for a meniscus injury suffered in Week Six. Taysom Hill has only played five games this season, totaling just eight catches and 23 carries, as he’s been dealing with a rib injury. This lack of consistently healthy offensive weapons has been compounded by injuries to offensive linemen Cesar Ruiz, Pro-Bowler Erik McCoy and All-Pro Ryan Ramczyk, who has missed the entire season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
These injuries have led to a mediocre Saints’ offense. New Orleans is ranked 16th in the NFL at 22.7 points per game. But since their offensive outbursts of 47 and 44 points in Weeks One and Two, they have averaged just 16.6 points per game. Even with beating the Atlanta Falcons 20-17 on Sunday, Nov. 10, they have still only averaged 15.6 points for their last three games.
Despite the tremendous struggle for consistency on the offensive side of the ball, the Saints’ defense has been statistically worse. They rank in the bottom quarter of the league in points allowed per game, yards allowed per game and yards allowed per play. This represents a major decline from Allen’s previous two years as head coach, where New Orleans ranked in the top ten in points per game allowed.
On its own, this defensive trend is a concerning one, but it gets worse when you consider that Dennis Allen is known for his defensive coaching. He spent six seasons as the Saints’ defensive coordinator under Sean Payton, before being elevated to head coach following Payton’s departure in 2022 via trade. Allen previously spent parts of three years as head coach of the Las Vegas (then Oakland) Raiders, from 2012-2014, before being fired midway through the 2014 season. Coincidentally, Derek Carr was also Allen’s quarterback in Oakland when he was fired. Allen’s record with the Raiders was an abysmal 8-28. That hasn’t changed during his time in New Orleans, as he went 18-25 with the Saints, bringing his career head coaching record to 26-53, a winning percentage of just .329, the lowest among active NFL head coaches.
The Saints are a team stuck in limbo with a combination of young talent and aging veterans. But since they are expected to be $63 million over the salary cap in 2025, they may be unable to sign the players needed to fill their roster holes and allow them to contend. This is exemplified by their trade of defensive back Marshon Lattimore on Nov. 5, which will free up cap space a couple years down the line.
All in all, the Saints are in a tough spot. But even as an injury-ravaged team with salary cap issues, seven straight losses meant that something had to change. Logically that change came in the form of something they have full control over: parting ways with a head coach who is one of the least successful in league history by winning percentage. The Saints’ season may be lost, their problems certainly remain unsolved and a rebuild may loom ahead, but firing a head coach who fell way short of expectations is a good place to start. This came to at least a partial fruition on Nov. 10 when the Saints beat the Falcons, foreshadowing a more positive season for the Saints moving forward.
