The New Orleans Saints eased into life without Dennis Allen just fine in the debut of Darren Rizzi. The interim head coach earned his first win in stunning fashion Sunday, by taking down the NFC South leader.
The Saints knocked off the Atlanta Falcons 20-17 by turning to defense and a breakout 100-yard day from new wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. But the upset became one of two victories for Rizzi.
The special teams coach had to earn New Orleans' trust first after Allen's dismissal. Walking around the Saints' facility, Rizzi's words show he has won the team over, via Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football.
“This doesn’t happen without complete buy-in from everyone in the building,” Rizzi said postgame.
Tripplett himself saw an “energy change” inside the Superdome before the Saints snapped their long seven-game slide.
New Orleans jumped to a 10-0 early lead. Derek Carr found Valdes-Scantling streaking past three different Falcons defenders on the 40-yard touchdown strike. The 30-year-old veteran caught three passes for 109 yards and scored twice in his home debut with the Saints, who signed him Oct. 22 off waivers.
Rizzi also rode All-Pro running back Alvin Kamara. The longtime Saint accumulated 109 total yards from scrimmage, but also became the franchise's all-time leading rusher. Turns out Kamara became “the guy who bought in the most of the entire team” once Rizzi took over.
The new coaching leader in the Bayou brought new energy, plus a sense of humor.
Darren Rizzi shares joke involving Saints' coaches room
Rizzi originally thought he'd be in for a “crappy” day, literally.
He gave reporters a too-much-information moment postgame. Rizzi revealed he clogged the toilet in the coaches' locker room on the morning of his debut game. He instantly thought this would become a bad omen.
“This is gonna be a crappy day, pun intended,” Rizzi said per Triplett.
But he managed to get the Saints out of the losing clog they were stuck in the last seven games.
New Orleans overcame a slow first quarter to outscore the Falcons 17-7 before halftime. Atlanta later cut the lead to 20-17 entering the fourth. The Saints, however, forced a blocked field goal and interception to close out the win. The former play sparked an unhinged, euphoric reaction from Rizzi. Tyrann Mathieu swooped up the late Kirk Cousins pick with 2:07 left to solidify the win.
Rizzi inspired a defense that bottled Cousins and company. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback suffered three sacks and didn't toss a single touchdown pass. Sunday's 17-point output marks the first time the Saints defense surrendered less than 20 points since the Sept. 22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The 54-year-old walked into the famed dome needing to motivate a franchise that nearly went two months without a win. He received an immediate buy-in, then watched the Saints pull off one of the top upsets of Week 10 and after an abrupt change in leadership.
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