Dennis Allen wasn't even asked a question, he had something to say first: "That's not who we are."
It wasn't a statement in reference to the 48-17 beatdown of the Falcons, at least not the first 41 points. The Saints players went onto the field with the call for a victory formation kneeldown after a Tyrann Mathieu interception return to the 1-yard line. That's how they lined up, but instead they ran a dive to Jamaal Williams for a touchdown.
“That’s not who we are, that’s not how we operate," Allen said. "We should’ve taken a knee, so I want to apologize to them, because, look, we’re all – we’ve got a good rivalry, and it’s a heated rivalry, but there’s a way that we go about doing our business and I wasn’t happy about that.”
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, who has since been fired, was also clearly unhappy, stomping across the field to berate the Saints head coach. Allen could be hard at one point on the broadcast saying "I understand." Smith's anger was more likely generated from the victory formation, which indicates you aren't trying to run a play, and the defense will often lay off rather than do anything that might lead to an injury.
It was also possibly stemming somewhat from his own job status, which was already known to be on shaky ground after a third consecutive 7-10 finish. It wasn't surviving that sort of beatdown.
"He should be [upset]," Allen continued. "That’s what it was."
But what exactly happened? It started with Mathieu's interception return, which probably should've ended up in the end zone. He ran strangely slow on that return and was ultimately tackled at the 1 yard line. He joked that he was "caught in the Matrix," but in reality it was more that he didn't expect anyone to be chasing him. They were. Teammates confirmed that he wasn't in on the later plan, but it did set the stage for the theatrics.
On the sideline the team was discussing whether they should try to get Jimmy Graham or Jamaal Williams a touchdown. They landed on Williams, who led the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns in 2022, but had yet to get one this year. They asked the coach. He said no.
But what the Saints coaches did do was send Jameis Winston on the field, probably the only quarterback on the roster who would've been bold enough to defy a direct order from the coaching staff in that situation.
"I didn’t mean to, I didn’t want to disrespect them. That was not my intention," Winston said. "My intention was to lead the team that I’ve been with the entire year, and we made a collective decision that we wanted to get one of our guys that they fight with blood, sweat and tears every game in the end zone, and I’m gonna feel good about that.”
The Saints didn't decide what they were going to do until they got onto the field, but the decision was unanimous: They were going for it. The Saints lined up in victory formation, something that wouldn't have prompted suspicion from their head coach, who might've called a timeout if they freelanced any other play. Winston put the ball into Williams' belly and he plowed into the end zone. Falcons players didn't react with chippiness as you might expect, but clearly it didn't sit well on either sidelines.
Winston, who was the Saints starter to begin the 2022 season before losing the job midway, apologized to his head coach for the team defying his order, and as the man with the ball in his hands, he was the one who ultimately had to answer for the decision. But he wouldn't apologize for the choice, and several of his teammates, including veterans Cam Jordan, Alvin Kamara and Johnathan Abram took to social media after the game to applaud him as a teammate.
"One of the most genuine human being [sic] you'll ever meet," Abram posted. "Hands down one of my favorite teammates of all time."
In the end the Saints didn't get the help they needed, so it's a discussion that will play out over the offseason. Many onlookers, including NFL veteran Ben Watson and former Saints and WDSU analyst Lance Moore, derided Allen's decision to address the situation in the media after the game. It was also fairly questioned what sort of statement that bizarre moment makes about the head coach's grasp on the team.
But starting quarterback Derek Carr, who had a spectacular 4-touchdown performance that probably has been a bit overshadowed by a garbage-time touchdown, had a different take. Since the decision to go was decided on the field, he didn't have all the information, but he knows how locker rooms work.
"Just as players, you just love your buddy so much that sometimes in this league, ain’t nothing a coach can do, no matter who it is," Carr said. "Players sometimes want to take care of their guys and coaches end up having to deal with that wrath sometimes, and so that happens. Like I said, I’m happy for Jamaal, but I understand the whole situation and all that."