The New Orleans Saints (2-7) suffered an unexpected 23-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 and fired head coach Dennis Allen in the aftermath. New Orleans followed up its 2-0 start to 2024 with seven consecutive defeats, so it’s not surprising to see the front office move on to Darren Rizzi as an interim replacement. The Saints are toward the bottom of the NFC South and need to turn things around. Let’s take a look at what their new leadership could mean for them as they host the Atlanta Falcons (6-3) in Week 10.
Back New Orleans to Cover?
NFL teams that make a head coaching change during the regular season are 17-23 SU since 2003. It’s not a stretch to say that players can get excited and inspired following a major change, but the results are a little mixed when it comes to wins and losses. The spread, on the other hand, is a different story.
Over their last 10 games, interim coaches are 7-3 ATS immediately following a head coaching change. The New York Jets would’ve been the fifth consecutive team to cover under such circumstances had they not narrowly lost to the Buffalo Bills by three points in Week 6.
There’s not much information on Rizzi as a coach, as he’s largely been focused on special teams since joining the NFL. However, the Saints are 3.5-point underdogs at BetMGM ahead of a Week 10 matchup against an Atlanta Falcons team that topped them by two points in a Week 4 matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
History suggests that picking New Orleans to cover is the smart choice. NFL teams have gone 22-17 ATS after head coach firings since 2003. Whether Rizzi’s first game as a head coach in the big leagues supports the reliability of that data remains to be seen.
Watch how BetQL’s Nick Ashooh reacted to the news - he has very strong feelings about this Saints team!
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