In the Saints’ defeat to the Rams, their aggressive play-calling ultimately backfires on them.
Dennis Allen, the coach of New Orleans, was aware that his team couldn’t play the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night by making cautious choices. Not with the Saints’ own playoff aspirations at stake and the Rams offense on the verge of a comeback.
However, New Orleans’s aggression proved to be one of its greatest weaknesses in the 30-22 defeat.
Three times the Saints turned the ball over on downs, which the Rams exploited to score thirteen points. Los Angeles scored a touchdown on the next play after Derek Carr’s lone interception of the evening.
“We wanted to play aggressively when we started this game. “Kicking field goals wasn’t going to be the way to try and win this game, knowing the type of team and the offense that we were playing,” Allen stated.
The most deadly of Allen’s two fourth-down wagers proved to be his second one. With one minute left in the first half, the Saints were down 10-3 and faced a fourth-and-five on the Rams 42. Carr had to throw it before tight end since linebacker Ernest Jones was applying pressure to his right side. It was in the air, as Juwan Johnson realized.
With five plays later, Matthew Stafford connected with Demarcus Robinson for a 4-yard touchdown throw; with 21 seconds left before halftime, the Saints were behind by two touchdowns.
On Thursday, December 21, 2023, in Inglewood, California, following an NFL football game versus the Los Angeles Rams, head coach Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints responds to inquiries. (Ryan Sun/AP Photo)
