Darren Rizzi is just the second coach in Saints history to open up at 2-0, outside of just Sean Payton after New Orleans defeated the visiting Cleveland Browns, 35-14.
It’s worth noting this was expected to be a close game, with the Browns favored by one point. It was anything but that as multiple Saints hit milestones and put together a complete game.
That comes on the heels of the team’s 20-17 upset win over the Atlanta Falcons, who were one of the hottest teams in all of the NFL until last Sunday as the leaders of the NFC South division.
That’s not too shabby for a special teams coordinator turned interim head coach with what seems to be little or no notice. The changes the Saints seem to have made after the team parted ways with Dennis Allen have made the team almost unbelievably look night and day.
The Saints were struggling in all phases of the game under Allen after their hot 2-0 start in which they combined for 91 points on offense over those first two victories, but look refreshed and competitive now after snapping a seven-game losing streak.
New Orleans had had just five interim head coaches before Rizzi stepped in for Allen, and they combined for an abysmal 12-35 overall record.
Can Rizzi and the Saints stay hot moving forward? They will have a chance to prove they can do just that as they face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Dec. 1.
