Saints: 'Confidence, Resilience' Ushers in Dennis Allen Era

The New Orleans Saints players credit Allen for instilling confidence and resilience in his team during the thrilling win over the Falcons.

Kyle T. Mosley | Sep 13, 2022

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Atlanta, GA — The Dennis Allen Era was ushered in during a thrilling fourth-quarter resurgence as the Atlanta Falcons 26-10 led with 12:31 left on the clock.

Dennis Allen - Falcon Game — Sep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen talks reporters after a victory against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle T. Mosley-SAINTS NEWS NETWORK

As New Orleans began to mount a comeback, I grabbed my binoculars and peered onto the New Orleans sidelines from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium press box. The coaches and players were calm and confident — but with implied urgency.

"Our team is tough and gritty," Dennis Allen told reporters. "That's what I love about them, and that's exactly the way they played in this game tonight. It wasn't perfect. There's a ton of things we've got to get cleaned up. I told them all in there, 'look enjoy the win but have tough skin tomorrow,' because we're not going to win a lot of games playing the way that we did today."

Dennis Allen and Jameis Winston — Sep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen celebrates with quarterback Jameis Winston (2) after a victory against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Despite Jameis Winston's forgettable first three quarters to begin the game, the momentum was about to change. New Orleans' final three possessions included two touchdowns, one two-point conversion, and a field goal after trailing 16 points to their hated division-rival Falcons.

Jameis was suddenly finding his rhythm and groove. "We knew we were passing the ball right, so just the approach like 'hey here we go boom, boom, boom here we go, boom, boom, boom here we go.' You get into that rhythm of knowing like hey these are where my completions are at, these are where my matchups are at, and you just go. There is no game plan involved. It's 'hey, this is the defense that were going to get let's go in and play.'"

The New Orleans' offense was clicking — especially after three quarters of a faint pulse.

The Saints' four-play touchdown drive ended with Michael Thomas snatching a Jameis Winston bullet out of the air for his first touchdown in over a year.

USATSI_19029686_168388561_lowres — Sep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) celebrates after a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY SportsSep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) catches a touchdown pass Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

USATSI_19029785_168388561_lowres — Sep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) celebrates after a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY SportsSep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) catches a touchdown pass Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) celebrates after a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY SportsSep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) catches a touchdown pass Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

"Lost for words, honestly," Thomas reflected. "Just to be able to get in the end zone, add points for my team, get a victory here Week 1 right off. Coach always preaches getting off to a fast start. As an offense, we didn't get completely off to a fast start, but it's not always how you start. It's how you finish. I took pride in that, and my team needed me when the ball came my way. I wanted to take full advantage."

The Saints' defense held, then Winston and his receivers went back to work with another methodical march down the field. This time, the drive ended with WR Thomas scoring his second touchdown of the contest.

New Orleans inched closer, but Mark Ingram's two-point attempt collapsed two yards ahead of the goal line, and the Saints were down 24-26 with 3:38 on the clock.

The rookie wideout Chris Olave smiled at his locker and confidently said, "Oh yeah, for sure. We all believe, at the end of the day, we all believe in each other. We knew if we got a chance, if we got the ball, you know the defense did a great job getting us the ball back, and we went and made it happen."

Mariota couldn't sustain a drive, punted, and gave Jameis Winston 48 seconds to get the team in position for Wil Lutz to do his magic.

Jameis needed 24 seconds to position New Orleans for his thirteenth NFL game-winning drive of his career.

"We mixed up the calls. They made the plays, and we didn't get to the quarterback. And that's essentially what it was," Falcons head coach Arthur Smith commented on the Saints' final three drives.

Jameis Winston - Falcons Game 2022 — Sep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) throws a pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Winston threw a gorgeous 40-yard pass to wide receiver Jarvis Landry on the left sidelines - but his over-the-head catch was remarkable.

"Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations," Jarvis Winston found tight end Juwan Johnson for 17 yards to the Atlanta 33-yard line, then spiked the football to stop the clock at 24 seconds.

Wil Lutz blasted a 51-yarder through the uprights. Payton Turner blocked placekicker Younghoe Koo's 63-yard field goal attempt to seal the win for the Saints over the Falcons, 27-26.

Jarvis Landry - Falcons Game 1 - 2022 — Sep 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Jarvis Landry (5) makes a catch over Atlanta Falcons cornerback Casey Hayward (29) in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Thomas served as the Saints' Nostradamus for the day. "I told him I needed him. I told him I needed him. We knew it was going to come down to a close game. I told him the whole day."

Winning 'gritty' early in the season bodes well for Dennis Allen's team. It galvanizes them and instills a winning culture the players identify with in their new leader.

Winston, Landry, and Olave all spoke to us about the team's resilience, but also their confidence.

Sixteen games remain in the 2022-23 NFL season. If Sunday's game is any indication, expect more thrills and close matches in the Dennis Allen Era.

Are the Saints are playoff team under Allen?

Well, we shall see.

Saints-Falcons Articles in Week 1

Published Sep 13, 2022

KYLE T. MOSLEY