When he’s right, he’s right. Dennis Allen had the correct diagnosis after the New Orleans Saints lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on “Monday Night Football.” They ran into a Super Bowl contender who put a spotlight on all of the flaws they’ve been working to hide.
“I thought we got outplayed today, we got outcoached,” Allen said after the game. “Really couldn’t get anything going on either side of the ball.”
But this has happened far too often during Allen’s three season as head coach. Under his watch, the Saints are now 2-8 against teams who took the field with a winning record. They’re only 4-3 versus opponents who were sitting at .500 before kickoff. And Allen’s team has gone 12-10 against those with fewer wins than losses.
Sunday’s game was no different. Andy Reid coached circles around Allen, running for 139 yards on the ground (the second-most the Saints have allowed this season) and passing for 321 yards through the air. That’s the second-most passing yards Allen’s defense has given up since he was hired as head coach, trailing only the 325 yards they allowed to the Los Angeles Rams in last year’s late prime-time loss.
The inverse was true, too. As creative and impressive as Klint Kubiak’s offense looked to start the season, Steve Spagnuolo made them look pedestrian at best. Sure, injuries were a problem, but this was the first time Alvin Kamara was held to fewer than 100 scrimmage yards all season (he totaled 66). It’s ironic that Spagnuolo has done so well against his former team. He’s the defensive coordinator the Saints may have let go too soon. Allen has turned out to be the one they’re holding onto far too long.
