The New Orleans Saints have reacted to their 2-7 start to the season by firing head coach Dennis Allen.

“Dennis has been part of our organization for many years. He is highly regarded within the NFL. He has been extremely loyal and professional and most importantly an excellent football coach for us. All of this makes today very tough for me and our organization,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement. “However, this decision is something that I felt we needed to make at this time. I wish nothing but the best in the future for Dennis and his family. He will always be considered in the highest regard by me and everyone within our organization.”

The Saints started the season looking like Super Bowl contenders, beating the Carolina Panthers 47-10 followed by a 44-19 dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys. But those wins would be put into context later in the season as the Cowboys and Panthers struggled. The Saints would too: they met the Panthers again on Sunday and lost 23-22. It was New Orleans’ seventh straight defeat, although Allen had to deal with a significant number of injuries among his wide receivers and offensive line.

“I’m going to keep coming in every day and fighting my ass off just like I have every single day that I’ve been here,” Allen said on Sunday after the loss to the Panthers.

Fans, however, had been calling for Allen’s head for some time, and players voiced their disquiet about the team’s form.

“We just lost to the panthers... I love y’all New Orleans truly had higher expectations and the best of hopes for us, y’all deserve it,” veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan wrote on X after Sunday’s loss.

Allen was in his third season as New Orleans head coach and had also served as the team’s defensive coordinator from 2015 until he moved up to replace Sean Payton in 2022. While the Saints maintained the strong defense Allen had developed as coordinator, their offense has been patchy at best. In three seasons with the Saints, he had an 18-25 record and failed to make the playoffs. He was also head coach of the Raiders between 2012 and 2014, posting an 8-28 record.

The NFL Network reported that special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi will serve as the team’s interim head coach.