Darren Rizzi has an opportunity to definitively succeed where Dennis Allen failed after replacing the former New Orleans Saints head coach. He’s arguably already done that by ending the seven-week losing streak that cost Allen his job and winning back-to-back games. But their next matchup may tell the real story.
The Saints and Los Angeles Rams met last year with the season in the balance, and Allen failed that test. That loss in L.A. put the Saints so far out of the playoff picture that the remaining games were all for naught. A rematch is coming up after the bye, and we’re in a similar situation. Can Rizzi pass this test?
Maybe so. The Rams aren’t the juggernaut they once were, stuck at 5-5 while going back-and-forth in the win-loss column, but they are a hurdle the Saints must overcome to reach the playoffs this year. If the Rams lose to the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday night, they’ll take the field next week ahead of New Orleans by a single win. Knocking them off and winning three in a row would be a heck of an achievement.
And if nothing else, it would be symbolic. Allen struggled to coach the Saints up when they drew an opponent with a backbone, and that loss to the Rams felt like an indictment for him. With such a big impact on the team’s playoff odds at stake, he wilted. If Rizzi can rise to that challenge it’ll say a lot about where he has this team trending and where he could take them. And he’s got time on his side with the bye week buying a few more days to prepare for it.
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