It seems like New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen may have lost his locker room because the garbage time touchdown that sent Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith into a rage on Sunday was not called by the coach.
The Saints 2023-24 campaign was very disappointing. Despite a solid defense and an offense that included star running back Alvin Kamara and four-time Pro Bowler Derek Carr, the team was not in the chase for a playoff spot late in the season and ended the year with an underwhelming 9-8 record.
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Nevertheless, they ended the season on a high note when they stomped out division rivals the Atlanta Falcons 48-17 in Week 18. However, the victory included a bit of controversy at the end when the Saints scored a touchdown in the final seconds when they had a huge lead. The moment led to a startling exchange as Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was caught on camera yelling at his Saints counterpart Dennis Allen after the game to a close.
Many immediately knocked Allen for how his team handled the moment but it seems the play that added another touchdown to the score was called without his permission. After the game, Allen revealed to the media that the offense led by veteran QB Jameis Winston went rogue and switched out to a run play instead of taking a knee to run out the clock as he ordered.
‘That’s not who we are, that’s not how we operate,” the Saints head coach said after the game. “We should’ve taken a knee. We put victory (formation) out there, and guys wanted to get (Jamaal Williams) a touchdown. They did that on their own, and that’s unacceptable. Honestly, I’m not sure exactly what was going on behind that other than they wanted him to score a touchdown.”
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Williams is in his first season with New Orleans after making stops in Green Bay and Detroit during the first six years of his career.
Could shocking rogue moment from players cost Dennis Allen his job with New Orleans Saints?
It will be interesting to see how the New Orleans Saints handle the incident from their Week 18 win over the Falcons. A case could be made that Winston is to blame for the situation, and cutting the former Florida State star could nip the problem in the bud early.
However, the front office surely has to worry if the quarterback’s decision was a symptom of a greater illness inside the Saints locker room and the head coach could be losing his team. Allen has been with the organization for the last nine years and previously served as their defensive coordinator for his first seven years in New Orleans.
Winston admitted after the game it was a “collective decision” by the offense to defy their coach and score the touchdown instead of taking a knee in the final seconds versus Atlanta.
Allen took over for former head coach Sean Payton after he surprisingly retired from the team before the 2022 season. Allen has a 16-18 record as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, and their record did improve this season after going 7-10 last year. However, after nearly a decade with the organization, Week 18 might be evidence that it could be time for a change at head coach in 2024.