It’s time to reset the counter. New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen still hasn’t won three games in a row after an ugly showing in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. There was a lot of optimism going into this game that Allen’s team had turned the corner — blowout wins over the division-rival Carolina Panthers and much-hyped Dallas Cowboys in the first two weeks teed up what should’ve been a narrative-busting win with Philly.
But it wasn’t to be. Allen’s defense bent until it broke and couldn’t keep up with Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert late in regulation. The offense had no answers for the aggressive Eagles defense, and now the Saints have fallen back to 2-1.
Still, that’s tied for the best record Allen has ever had after Week 3. The Saints went 2-1 last year, too, but before that Allen’s teams were either 1-2 or 0-3 in his first four years as a head coach. The challenge now becomes staying over .500. Last season they fell back to Earth at 2-2. Now they have an opportunity to improve to 3-1 with a win on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. A 3-1 record would be Allen’s highest win total after Week 4.
Last week we praised Allen for getting back to .500 as the Saints’ head coach, but now he’s fallen back under that threshold with an 18-19 record. Just breaking even can’t be enough for this team if they want to get back to the playoffs. Win three in a row, and then four. Keep it going until you’re in a playoff game. If Allen is going to lead the Saints back to national relevance he’ll have to sustain success week in and week out. But that’s easier said than done. The last three or four years of Saints football are proof of it.
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