Saints have had a weird special teams advantage since Darren Rizzi took over as coach

Prior to Darren Rizzi being named interim head coach, the New Orleans Saints lost seven games in a row. Since Rizzi took over, the team is 2-0. He has made several changes to re-energize the team, and has really committed to leaning on his veterans. However, there’s another factor contributing to Rizzi’s 2-0 start.

New Orleans has absolutely dominated the special teams battle in the last two games. That may seem expected since Rizzi was the special teams coordinator before being interim head coach, but what occurred in New Orleans’ last two games isn’t as simple as the Saints executing.

Opposing kickers have gone cold against New Orleans, and that’s a big reason why Rizzi is 2-0 as a head coach.

Kickers have struggled against Darren Rizzi and the Saints

In Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta’s kicker Younghoe Koo, who is one of the league’s best kickers, went 1-of-4 on field goals. The misses were from 53, 35, and 46 yards— the 35-yard attempt was blocked. These are, generally, automatic for a kicker like Koo. With the game ending 20-17 in New Orleans’ favor, this made a clear difference.

The kicking struggles also plagued the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. Dustin Hopkins went 0-for-2, with misses from 51 and 27 yards. That game ultimately ended with the Saints winning 35-14.

So in Rizzi’s two-game tenure, opposing kickers have already missed five field goals. In the nine games this season when Dennis Allen was head coach, opposing kickers were 21-of-23. That’s just two missed kicks in nine games, compared to five in two games.

Aside from the one that was blocked, these misses don’t have much to do with the Saints. Maybe it’s some type of mojo from having a special teams coordinator as the head coach, but whatever it is, New Orleans is hoping it continues.

READ MORE