5 coaches on the hot seat after Week 13 performances
By John Buhler
4. Dennis Allen has dropped New Orleans Saints' baton from Sean Payton
Although the Detroit Lions are a dominant team out of the NFC North, it has been a bad last few weeks for the New Orleans Saints. They have lost three in a row, including to the rival Atlanta Falcons last week. With a loss to Detroit, the Saints have dropped to 5-7 on the year in this three-game skid and are essentially a game-and-a-half back of the Dirty Birds in the NFC South race.
It was honestly expected, but it is still amazing how quickly things devolved under Dennis Allen in New Orleans. He took over for Sean Payton last season and did alright. The Saints went out and added Derek Carr at quarterback, but the former Las Vegas Raiders starter has looked like a shell of himself. Allen is a defensive-minded coach, but his Saints team is starting to lose its identity of late.
For a division that has Carr, Baker Mayfield, Desmond Ridder and Bryce Young as the starting quarterbacks, how are the Saints not leading the NFC South when they have Carr? They could blame offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. for their struggles, but I think the Saints are best served at making wholesale changes to their coaching staff next year. If they do this right, they should fix this.
Allen is a great defensive coordinator, but has been revealed as a below-average head coach again.