Dennis Allen is out, Darren Rizzi is in after Saints fire head coach

Catch up quick: With a new offensive coordinator in place, Allen and quarterback Derek Carr entered the 2024 season with everything to prove, and at first it looked like they'd finally found their rhythm.

• The Saints won their first two games, but soon it was clear they couldn't overcome an onslaught of injuries and have so far lost seven straight games.
• The latest was a 23-22 loss at Carolina on Sunday.
• ESPN's Adam Schefter was first to report Allen's firing Monday. Allen finished his career as Saints head coach with an 18-25 record, NFL.com reports.

What they said: Allen "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."

Zoom in: Rizzi has served as the Saints' special teams coordinator since 2019, according to his team bio.

• He took on the title of assistant head coach in 2022.

What's next: Don't expect a permanent replacement until after this season ends.

• Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is bound by many NFL rules around how head coach searches work, including that he can't conduct in-person interviews with anyone currently employed by another team until their season ends.