Saints playcaller duo remains NFL’s best

By Ross Jackson

After the second week of the NFL season, the New Orleans Saints play callers have fallen from their top spot individually.

However, as a duo, they are still taking the league by storm. Head coach and defensive play caller Dennis Allen and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak combined again after a 25-point as the top coordinator duo in the NFL, per Patton Analytics

🚨 Play Caller Rankings 🚨

The Saints have outscored their opponents by 72 points, showing complete dominance on both sides of the ball.

The Packers, Chargers, Steelers, Texans, and Bills are the only other teams with both their play callers ranked in the top 10. pic.twitter.com/yuDaV4BXV2

— Steven Patton (@PattonAnalytics) September 18, 2024

After Week 1, both play callers finished at No. 1 on their respective sides of the ball. This week, Kubiak fell one spot to No. 2 while Allen dropped to No. 3 on the defensive side. The good news for New Orleans is that regardless of their individual adjustments, as a tandem, they are as good as the league has to offer.

Allen’s play calling likely fell due to some of the bigger plays the Dallas Cowboys generated in Week 2 including a big catch-and-run by Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb. However, he also called a perfect play that led to a much needed interception by safety Tyrann Mathieu. 

Jesse Minter has looked as good as advertised to start the season. Will that continue against tougher competition?

Meanwhile, Mike Zimmer has struggled to find solutions against Shanahan style offenses and Vic Fangio seems to have lost a step over the past couple of seasons. pic.twitter.com/JNmc6uzYAy

— Steven Patton (@PattonAnalytics) September 18, 2024

As for Kubiak, his fall is likely more to do with Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur’s Week 2 success. LaFleur stepped up to the No. 1 spot despite Kubiak’s offense serving up six consecutive touchdown drives. It would not be surprising to see Kubiak reclaim the top spot. The same could be said about Allen if he finds a way to shut down what is a threatening Philadelphia Eagles attack, especially with mobile quarterback Jalen Hursts at the helm.

Matt LaFleur delivered a masterclass this past Sunday, while the Saints look unstoppable with the addition of Klint Kubiak this offseason.

On the flip side, Dave Canales has struggled in his first year as a head coach, and Shane Waldron has yet to find his footing in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/xaz1lAdUT3

— Steven Patton (@PattonAnalytics) September 18, 2024

This is a welcome shift in New Orleans. No other team in the league has a play caller in each side of the ball ranking within the top 10 of Pattin’s rankings. The Saints must feel great about their new arrangement and are, so far, blazing a path to success with two highly-successful play callers.