Dennis Allen defends Saints DT for blatantly dirty play on Justin Herbert

More than a decade after facing punishment for a bounty program, the New Orleans Saints are once again facing accusations of intentionally attempting to injure their opponents.

The play facing scrutiny this time occurred on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. In the second quarter of the Week 8 matchup, Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd dove to tackle Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert just as he threw a screen pass to running back J.K. Dobbins. Shepherd appeared to twist Herbert’s right ankle to take him to the ground after he had already released the ball.

Chargers center Bradley Bozeman immediately came to his quarterback’s aid and jumped on top of Shepherd before an official eventually broke up the scuffle.

"It was probably one of the dirtier plays I've ever seen," Bozeman said after the game. “You protect your quarterback no matter what. And I think any of our offensive linemen that was in my position would've done the same thing.”

Dennis Allen defends Nathan Shepherd after controversial play

Saints head coach Dennis Allen doesn’t agree with Bozeman’s assessment of the play. Allen told reporters on Monday that he doesn’t believe Shepherd was trying to intentionally injure Herbert, per ESPN.

"I think it's not accurate,” Allen said. “Here's a guy that's trying to wrap the quarterback up. He's on the ground, he has no idea whether the quarterback has the ball or not. He's just trying to bring the quarterback down to the ground. There was nothing malicious about that play. It's a guy that's trying to make the play. I went back and looked at that play again after seeing the comments and I don't agree with that."

Herbert was fortunately not injured on the play, but he has been playing with a sprained ankle since Week 2.

The Saints’ defensive line has played aggressively all season, and they faced some backlash for it in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Saints rookie defensive lineman Khristian Boyd was accused of intentionally attempting to injure Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who was placed in concussion protocol after taking a hit to the helmet. Boyd received a $4,600 fine for the hit.

The league heavily disciplined the Saints coaching staff for incentivizing players to injure opponents from 2009 to 2011. During the bounty program, the team’s ferocious defense helped lead them to a Super Bowl championship. 

This time, the team is reaping nothing more than fines and penalties for their aggressive play. The Saints suffered a 15-12 loss to the Eagles, which began their six-game losing streak. After their 26-8 loss to the Chargers, New Orleans has fallen to a 2-6 record.