BREAKING: Saints Fire Coach Before Facing Falcons

The New Orleans Saints have fired head coach Dennis Allen, prompting interim coach Darren Rizzi to lead the team Sunday vs. the Atlanta Falcons.

The New Orleans Saints have fired head coach Dennis Allen before Sunday's Week 10 game against the Atlanta Falcons. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons will be facing a new-look New Orleans Saints team when the two sides kickoff at 1 p.m. Sunday.

New Orleans has fired head coach Dennis Allen after a 2-7 start, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. Allen, who began his tenure as head coach in 2022, finished with an 18-25 record.

Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi has been named the team's interim head coach.

The Saints went 7-10 and 9-8 in their first two years under Allen, who was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2015-21 before replacing Sean Payton in 2022. New Orleans won its first two games this season by 37 and 25 points, respectively, before losing seven consecutive games.

The final straw for Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and owner Gayle Benson seems to be the team’s 23-22 loss to the then-1-7 Carolina Panthers, who were on the receiving end of New Orleans’ 47-10 victory in Week 1.

Now, the Saints are headed in a different direction.

Atlanta and New Orleans met in Week 4, with the Falcons taking a 26-24 win Sept. 29. Across five games versus the Falcons, the Allen-led Saints went 3-2.

The Falcons, led by first-year coach Raheem Morris, have won five of their last six games and sit atop the NFC South.

Atlanta fired its head coach, Arthur Smith, after a Week 18 loss to the Saints last season. This year, New Orleans is parting ways with Allen before the Falcons had a chance to foster a similar outcome.

Without Allen, the Saints and Falcons will kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Caesars Superdome.