Saints fire Dennis Allen after humiliating loss to Panthers
You lose to the Panthers, you pay the price.
The Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday morning, a day after New Orleans’ 23-22 defeat against lowly Carolina.
It was the seventh straight loss for the Saints after the season started with back-to-back wins over the Panthers and Cowboys.
NFL.com reported that special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi was expected to be named the interim head coach.
The Saints’ offense showed incredible potential in their first two games of the season, scoring 91 points.
However, close losses to the Eagles and Falcons followed with the season quickly falling apart once Derek Carr was hurt in Week 5 against the Chiefs.
The Saints turned the offense over to fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler, and New Orleans was subsequently outscored 110-45 in losses to the Bucs, Broncos and Chargers.
Carr returned for Sunday’s game in Carolina and the Saints led most of the way before Chuba Hubbard’s touchdown with 2:16 gave the 1-7 Panthers the lead.
The game, which the Saints were favored to win by a touchdown, also included a scary injury to receiver Chris Olave after a vicious hit on an over-the-middle pass.
Former Saints receiver Michael Thomas then went on a long rant on X, blaming Carr for putting Olave at risk.
Allen, 52, was promoted to Saints head coach before the 2022 season after Sean Payton temporarily retired.
He had been the offensive coordinator under Payton for seven seasons.
Allen finishes his tenure in New Orleans at 18-25 after his previous head-coaching opportunity with the Raiders ended in a similar way.
