Dennis Allen was named the all-time great coach.

Dennis Allen received an award for being the greatest coach of all time.

If the Saints are to consider making the playoffs, Dennis Allen’s second half of his first season as head coach needs to be better than his first.

With eight games remaining, Allen and the Saints (3-6) are only one game off of first place in the NFC South, which

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Allen stated, “We’re striving for more consistency,” since his team has dropped its last four games by eight points or less. “When we combine offense, defense, and special teams, we haven’t done it often enough. Additionally, there have been far too many games where one or more phases haven’t performed as we believe would have given us a chance to win.

In an ideal world, players like Michael Thomas, the wide receiver, and Marshon Lattimore, the cornerback, would still be healthy, and the New Orleans Saints wouldn’t have felt the need to start Andy Dalton in place of Jameis Winston in Week 4 of the season.

However, Allen has not had such luck, as he currently leads the Saints, who for the first time since 2005—the year before Allen’s predecessor, Sean Payton, was hired—to a record of six losses in their first nine games.

One of his mentors, Bill Parcells, used to say that being a member of an NFL team can sometimes feel like a “crisis or carnival.” Payton, who resigned after the 2017 season, would echo this sentiment.

Consider the last two Saints games. Following a 24-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on October 30, New Orleans appeared to be a capable and certain club with a chance to pick up steam. A week later, in a 27–13 loss to Baltimore, New Orleans appeared outclassed and suffered its first loss by more than 10 points this year.

The Saints offense didn’t find the end zone until the meaningless closing minutes of Monday night, making it statistically their worst performance of 2022. Lamar Jackson of the Ravens was a swift and elusive quarterback, and New Orleans rarely had an answer for him defensively.

James Hurst, the left tackle for the Saints, stated, “We have to go back and pick out the things that we were able to do and why we were able to win that game against the Raiders the way that we did, then compare that to Monday night and see what was off.” “We need to revert to our previous state from one week ago.”

“There’s a lot of hope,” Hurst continued. “We have the men with the moral fiber to step in and take every necessary step to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”

And that comment reminds me of another phrase that Payton uses a lot: “We’ll see.”

SUCCESSFUL

The Saints’ offense appears effective when they aren’t endangering themselves by committing an NFL-high 17 turnovers thus far. The Saints had the sixth-highest yards per game (377.6) in the NFL, despite their season-low 243 yards versus Baltimore. They rank eleventh with 23.6 points per game. Coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., a Payton protégé who has been with the Saints since 2006, plans and directs the offense.

WHAT REQUIRES ASSISTANCE

The defense’s mobile quarterback containment plan. New Orleans has faced difficulties from Marcus Mariota of Atlanta (72 yards, one touchdown) and Jackson of Baltimore (82 yards rushing). And in Week 17, Jalen Hurts of Philadelphia will still be a challenge for the Saints.

AVAILABLE STOCK

Juwan Johnson, a third-year tight end in the NFL, was not chosen while playing receiver for Penn State and Oregon in college. He converted a short ball into a 41-yard touchdown for New Orleans’ lone touchdown versus Baltimore with deft agility near the sideline. He has 23 catches for 258 receiving yards, which ties him for the team lead in touchdown catches with three.

LOW STOCK

Winston could have to start over in a different place the following year. During his three starts, he mostly performed poorly, missing two because of a back injury. However, despite Winston’s full recovery over the last two weeks, the Saints haven’t made an attempt to get him back into the starting lineup. Even after the loss on Monday night, Allen was clear that he thought Dalton was starting better for New Orleans’ offense.

INDICATES OF INJURIES

Lattimore and Thomas’ ailments have hindered the Saints. The most talented receiver in New Orleans, Thomas, began the season in good health after missing the majority of 2020 and all of the previous season due to an ankle issue. However, he is on injured reserve after sustaining a toe injury three games into the season.

The best defensive back for the Saints, Marcus Lattimore, has missed the last four games due to an abdomen ailment, but Allen stated he is “closer” to playing again.

Allen stated, “He’s increased the intensity of his workouts in terms of the rehabilitation process.” He is exerting himself.

On Monday night, a number of New Orleans’ starters suffered injuries. Both defensive end Marcus Davenport and center Erik McCoy are sidelined with calf injuries. Pete Werner, a linebacker, is injured in his ankle.