Three weeks into the NFL season, things have not gone according to plan for the Saints and new head coach Dennis Allen. New Orleans is 1-2 and quite honestly, extremely lucky to not be 0-3. It took a 16-point fourth quarter comeback/collapse against the Atlanta Falcons during week one to get the Saints their only win of the season thus far.
Since then, a terrible offensive performance against the Bucs and an even worse showing against the lowly Carolina Panthers have put the Saints at 1-2 and on the brink of disaster as they arrive in London to take on the 2-1 Minnesota Vikings.
While hopes were high going into the season, it appears the Saints and Dennis Allen are having a tougher time than anticipated filling the shoes of Sean Payton, especially given the struggles of the offense. While by all accounts Winston has been playing through a back injury, he is simply not getting it done and Allen needs to ask himself at what point a healthy Andy Dalton is better than an injured Jameis Winston.
Of course, the Saints problems extend beyond just Winston. I was a fan of hiring of Dennis Allen at the time. Even though his first try at being a head coach in Oakland was a disaster, it seemed like a logical fit to continue what Sean Payton had built. Also, don’t forget, Allen was leading the team during their 9-0 shutout of the Buccaneers last season when Payton was out with COVID.
Three games into the Dennis Allen era in New Orleans however, it appears maybe they should have hired an offensive minded head coach and kept Allen leading the defense. Of course, it’s only been three games and things can certainly still turn around, but Saints fans have to be concerned about the complete ineptitude on offense thus far.
