Dennis Allen, the coach of the Saints, anticipates keeping his position after New Orleans concluded with a winning record, improved by two games, and narrowly missed the playoffs.

But after his second season taking over for Sean Payton ended up being New Orleans’ third consecutive season without making the playoffs, he is not looking for kudos.

“I was pleased with the manner in which our soldiers persisted in their combat. While Allen expressed pride in the manner in which the team concluded the season on Monday, he also noted, “When you look at where we’ve been the last three years, it’s not good enough.”

Allen went on, “Everyone in the building is partially responsible for that.” Thus, we must examine what

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The Saints served as an exemplar of incoherence.

Following a 2-0 start, they faltered and lost seven of their next ten games. During that run, the team’s high-profile offseason signing, quarterback Derek Carr, was heckled and abused. However, the Saints bounced back, winning four of their next five games, including Sunday’s 48-17 triumph over Atlanta, a bitter foe.

The Saints’ final record was identical to that of Green Bay and Tampa Bay, two postseason clubs. The Packers secured the final NFC wild-card spot, while the Buccaneers were victorious in the NFC South due to tiebreakers.

Six of the Saints’ defeats this season have come by eight points or less, with only one coming by more than nine.

In many of the defeats, “it comes down to basically one play,” according to seasoned defensive end Cameron Jordan. “We need to figure out how to win that one play.”

Jordan stated that players “had to be the reason we’re winning” and that such defeats are more the result of players’ performance at pivotal moments than of coaching.

The Saints, according to tight end Foster Moreau, are “enough skilled, plenty disciplined, and “well-coached,” but they lack a “winning culture,” which is something they’ll need to start fostering this offseason.

Moreau declared, “We ought to win a lot more games.” However, when one of those things happens—a play here, a play there, poor judgment, or a squandered opportunity—you end up with a 9–8, which is merely mediocre.

CARR’S END

As his rapport with rookie receivers Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and A.T. Perry developed, Carr completed 74% of his throws and threw for 14 touchdowns with just two interceptions during New Orleans’ final five games.

The Saints signed the former Raiders quarterback to a four-year, $150 million contract with the intention of getting him to produce results similar to that.

The man who worked so hard to get Carr, Allen, stated he didn’t think it was fair for fans and commentators to criticize his quarterback in the middle of the season.

Allen remarked, “He’s one of the eleven players out there on the field.” “Derek Carr performed admirably this season, and I believed that he gave his finest football play during the last stretch, when we needed it to give ourselves a chance. Therefore, I’m thrilled that Derek will start at quarterback for us.

PERSONAL HARM ISSUES

The impressive final stretch for New Orleans occurred when a number of important players were either injured or limited.

Both starting receiver Michael Thomas (knee) and cornerback Marshon Lattimore (ankle) missed the final seven games.

Running back Alvin Kamara (ankle) missed the entire season-ending victory over Atlanta as well as the second half of New Orleans’ 23-13 triumph at Tampa Bay.

Ryan Ramczyk (knee) is a right-lineman who has missed the last four games. Jordan ended with two sacks, his fewest since his rookie season in 2011, despite being sidelined for the final seven games due to ankle and neck issues.

Differential point

With 23.6 points per game, the Saints were eighth in the NFL. They were sixth with 19.2 points allowed per game.

New Orleans’ point differential was plus-75. That placed eighth in the NFL, outperforming seven playoff teams and outperforming Jacksonville, the next-best non-playoff team, by a wide margin (plus-6).

Despite having a strong ranking in that category, Allen remarked that the team’s eight-game losing streak and lack of postseason participation “would tell me that there’s ability there, but it was as consistent as it needed to be.”

NEXT ACTIONS

Both will probably have to make judgments regarding the staff and the roster if general manager Mickey Loomis decides to keep Allen, as anticipated.

It wasn’t until the squad struggled to start quickly or convert in the red zone during the first twelve games of the season that offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., a former Payton understudy, finally got the offense going.

In that capacity, it was Carmichael’s second season, but his first with Carr.

In addition, Allen voiced worries about the Saints’ run defense and running game, as well as his unit’s sporadic susceptibility to big plays.