Dennis Allen and Arthur Smith enter Week 18 in very similar situations with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Neither team is positioned to make the playoffs, but their postseason hopes are still alive, depending on the outcome of the NFC South matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons and several other Week 18 NFL games with playoff implications.
Allen is in his second season with the Saints and has led an 8-8 record so far. Meanwhile, Smith is in his fourth season with the Falcons and is leading Atlanta to a 7-9 record on the season. Neither coach has led their team to the playoffs before, and both have a career coaching record below .500.
- Dennis Allen NFL head coaching record: 23-46 (15-18 with New Orleans, 8-28 with Oakland)
- Arthur Smith NFL head coaching record: 21-29
The Week 18 matchup is big for several reasons. Not only are these leaders hoping to get their first taste of postseason football as a head coach, they may be fighting for their status with the team heading into 2024.
Related: 4 Atlanta Falcons coaching candidates to replace Arthur Smith
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, several people close to the Falcons believe Smith is safe. The same remains true for Allen in New Orleans, yet he also notes that a lopsided outcome on Sunday could cause ownership to lean elsewhere next season.
For the Falcons, a loss would be their fourth loss in the past five games. For the Saints, it would be their fifth loss in the past eight matchups, which is a bit better than Atlanta’s recent stretch, but not by much.
In other words, if either team suffers a crushing defeat on Sunday, don’t be surprised if a head coach many previously believed was safe is forced to head for the door.
