The New Orleans Saints have been struggling for about a month now.
Injuries have made things harder, and their four-game losing streak has led coaches to rethink many aspects of the team.
“Everybody needs to look at themselves — coaches, players, everybody — and make sure we’re doing everything we possibly can to get this thing going in the right direction,” said Saints coach Dennis Allen. “Right now, it’s not where we want it to be.”
The Saints started the season with high hopes after two big wins against Carolina and Dallas. However, looking back, those victories don’t seem as impressive.
The Panthers have a record of 1-5, losing all five games by 10 points or more. The Cowboys are 3-3, and their 47-9 defeat to Detroit on Sunday was even worse than their loss to the Saints in Week 2.
On the other hand, the Saints have lost their last two games by significant margins, losing by 13 points at Kansas City and by 24 points to the Buccaneers.
Time will reveal whether this is just a rough period or the beginning of a fourth straight year without making the playoffs. If it turns out to be the latter, it could be bad news for Allen, who has a record of 18-22 since becoming head coach in 2022 after Sean Payton’s short retirement.
“We’re dealing with some injuries right now. We’ve got to fight through this rough patch and hopefully get some guys back,” Allen said. “But I’ve got all the confidence in the world that our guys are going to stick together.”
