3 much-needed changes that Saints' interim coach Darren Rizzi has already made

Sometimes what works best is the simplest of things.

Saints' interim coach Darren Rizzi and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak have not reinvented the forward pass, but they revisited the play-action attack in a 20-17 win over Atlanta on Sunday in Rizzi's first game. Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr was really good that in the 1960s, and so was Saints' quarterback Derek Carr Sunday.

New defensive line coach Brian Young, whom Rizzi promoted just last week from pass rush coach, also got results. And veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu rode Rizzi's newfound passion and enthusiasm to play like his former self.

The new Saints (3-7) will try to keep it going against Cleveland (2-7) at home Sunday (12 central, FOX).

Play-action passing grades high

Saints' quarterback Derek Carr had some accuracy issues during the Saints' seven-game losing streak that followed a 2-0 start when he was one of the league's highest rated quarterbacks. So, what better way to help cure that than by throwing shorter passes?

Carr completed 16 of 25 passes for 269 yards with touchdowns of 40 and 2 yards to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, whom the team just signed last month from Buffalo, for a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. It was Carr's first game this season in which he had a zero in the interception and sack boxes. He completed 5-of-7 passes for 130 yards out of play action, including a short toss on the Saints' first play that running back Taysom Hill turned into a 34-yard gain.

During the Saints' 47-10 and 44-19 wins over Carolina and Dallas to start the season, Carr hit 12-of-17 play-action passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns. But the Saints got away from the fake-handoff-and-pass-short action when their running game began to falter after key offensive line injuries beginning in week three. Rizzi changed that.

"Yeah, it's an emphasis," Rizzi said Wednesday of a shift to more play action. "We felt like if we could run the ball early and open up some of that, that was a big part of it. It's a big deal when you can effectively run the ball."

Running back Alvin Kamara gained 11, 7, 2 and 5 yards on the Saints' first drive.

"If the run plays weren't the best, then those play action (fakes) probably won't mean anything to the safeties," Carr said.

"Anybody that does it can open up the rest of the offense," Rizzi said. "So, to get AK going early with some effective runs was good. Sometimes those 7- and 8-yard runs, the general fan might not realize how important they are early in the game. It opens up the rest of the playbook for the play-action stuff. It was a big deal."

Defensive line coaching change

One of the first moves Rizzi made a week ago Monday was the demotion of defensive line coach Todd Grantham and the promotion of pass rush coach Brian Young to his spot. Maybe it would have happened anyway, but nevertheless, the Saints did get three sacks against Atlanta after registering one or fewer sacks in three of their previous four games.

Defensive end Chase Young sacked Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins for a 9-yard loss with 41 seconds to go just after the Falcons had reached Saints' territory in search of a game-tying field goal. The Falcons reached the Saints' 43 in the final seconds, but time ran out. It was Young's first full sack since the Kansas City game on Oct. 7 and only his third of the season.

"A wholesale change like that, that's not easy," Rizzi said. "We changed a lot of people's responsibilities. We changed some things up on third down - some of our fronts. Brian got kinda thrown in there with taking over the D-Line room, but everybody was effective. We can be better, but we made a couple of huge plays on defense that essentially ended up winning the game for us."

Tyrann Mathieu becomes the Honey Badger

While a sophomore cornerback at LSU in 2011, Tyrann Mathieu became known as the "Honey Badger" for his wild-like, big play talent via tackles, interceptions, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries and punt returns. When he came to the Saints before the 2022 season after winning a Super Bowl in Kansas City, the Saints had one of the best defenses in the NFL. So, he decided to blend in and put the badger on hold.

That strategy did not go so well, and with the change to Rizzi last week, Mathieu decided to bring the badger back. Rizzi basically said, hell yeah, and just in time. Mathieu picked off a Kirk Cousins' pass with 2:07 to go at his 38-yard line with the Saints desperately clinging to a 20-17 lead. He also had three tackles and three passes defensed.

"Honey Badger's interception at the end of the game was maybe the biggest play of the game," Rizzi said. "Not a surprise to anybody that's from this area and followed his career that he's making big plays in big moments of the game."