Luke Kuechly knows a lot about Dennis Allen and the Saints. The former Defensive Player of the Year spent his entire eight-year career in the NFC South. After New Orleans fired Allen on Monday, Kuechly said everyone had a role in the Saints’ seven-game losing streak, all the way through the final play of Allen’s tenure.
Kuechly, who played for the Panthers franchise that dealt the Saints a 23-22 loss on Sunday, said Monday that while the Saints have endured an avalanche of injuries, the NFL’s results-driven nature carried more weight in the end.
“That’s the NFL, guys banged up,” Kuechly told Kay Adams on Up & Adams. “You look at the Chiefs and what Patrick Mahomes has had to deal with: Running back’s out, Travis Kelce had a slow start, all their wide receivers have been banged up the whole year and they go trade for somebody. Now, they’re undefeated.”
Kuechly stopped short of blaming Derek Carr for the coaching change but the former linebacker said everyone had a role in Gayle Benson’s decision. In Allen’s final game Sunday, everyone seemed to play a role in the loss.
Against the Panthers (2-7), after Carr connected with Foster Moreau on a go-ahead touchdown with 12 minutes remaining, he couldn’t complete the ensuing two-point pass and left the Saints’ lead at 22-17. Then, after Shemar Jean-Charles intercepted Bryce Young, New Orleans couldn’t produce points on its final three drives, thanks in part to four offensive penalties. Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard scored on a 16-yard run to give the Panthers a 23-22 lead with 2:18 left but New Orleans stalled on its final possession. Carr took a second-down sack, couldn’t move the sticks on a short pass to Alvin Kamara, then was off target on his final pass, incomplete to Cedrick Wilson on fourth-and-4.
“I think he’s smart and he can make all the throws,” Kuechly said, referring to Carr. “But they’re probably wanting just a little bit more from him. They struggled in the red zone yesterday. There were a couple throws he threw outside of a guy, threw high and just couldn’t convert in the red zone. The last play of the game, the incomplete pass down the sideline to Cedrick Wilson, just didn’t get that ball completed.”
Interim head coach Darren Rizzi will try to rally the Saints (2-7) when they host first-place Atlanta (6-3) on Sunday.
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