JACKSON: Allen’s defense could be his undoing

By Ross Jackson

NEW ORLEANS – In the NFL, pinning poor performances on the head coach can often be disputed.

Injuries, execution, which side of the ball the major concerns are on, all of these are examples of times where blame and fault may not align. For New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen, fault and blame may soon overlap. And if they do, it will be hard to justify another year under his leadership.

The Saints season is far from over. We’re six games into a 17-game season. But it sure feels like they are in trouble if things don’t shape up sooner rather than later. The team started with a blazing two-game win streak that included tying the record for the second-most points scored through an opening pair of games. Since then, the team has dropped four straight as concerns mount on the least expected side of the ball– the defense.

For this reason, things need to shape up quickly if Allen doesn’t want to be faced with a changing tide before season’s end. New Orleans has missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons and may be on their way to a fourth. So far, one of the key components to their present tailspin has been Allen’s specialty, the defense.

In previous seasons, Allen’s defense has overcome the loss of key players to injury, stood tall against talented competition and been the most reliable piece of the team.

That was expected to be the case again this season. But after experiencing several issues closing games out, surrendering explosive plays, a slew of missed tackles and a performance that Allen himself categorized as “atrocious”, the team has simply failed to meet its typical standard on that side of the ball again.

That is unfortunately becoming a habit. 

To be fair, Allen more specifically referred to the team’s tackling efforts as “atrocious” but the performance across the board was at least borderline in many areas. Aside from the team’s continuing streak of takeaways, Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put on full display every struggle the defense is having right now. 

The Saints will have another game in just four night’s time, an emotional matchup against former head coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos. If the Saints defense falters yet again, Allen’s future as the team’s head coach will very much be under fire. While New Orleans would be unlikely to make any in-season changes, Allen’s fate could be set well before the offseason.

New Orleans has sold the idea of Allen based on late-season surges. The team won three of its last four in 2022 and four of its last five in 2023. The strong finishes were supposed to equate to strong starts. And while New Orleans did start 2-0 in both following years, inconsistency has become its greater identity. 

In those seven wins, the opponents’ win-loss records combined for 45-and-60, or win percentage of 42.9. Only one of those teams, the 13-3 Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, had a winning record. The Saints caught that team with starting quarterback Jalen Hurts out with injury. Gardner Minshew was taking snaps.

So, the two driving factors behind Allen’s continued tenure have been strong finishes to seasons against bad teams and a defense that has disappointed in several different factors this year. On top of that, the major concerns on that side of the ball have been consistent for the past few years. The Saints have struggled to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks. The run defense has struggled, and tackling has been shoddy. If the brand of the team was supposed to be built off of these platitudes, the foundation was shaky from the beginning.

Allen got his quarterback. He got his offensive coordinator and a talented offensive staff to install the scheme he wanted on that side of the ball. However, now his area has dramatically faltered. That’s going to be hard to sell all over again.

Thus, it is imperative that the Saints find a way to turn things around on defense before it’s too late. Too late not only for finding success in 2024, but for having a future beyond it.

There’s still time to right the ship, but it may already be sinking. And down with it would go the captain.