The New Orleans Saints have let go of head coach Dennis Allen following last Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, which dropped the team to last place in the NFC South.

The Saints now sit at a rough 2-7, tied with the Panthers and New York Giants for the worst record in the NFC. Against Carolina, New Orleans suffered its seventh straight loss after starting the 2024 season with back-to-back wins.

This was Allen’s third season as head coach since stepping up in 2022. His first year ended with a 7-10 record and a third-place finish in their division, nowhere near playoff contention. Things did look up in 2023 when he led the team to nine wins and eight losses, good for second place in the NFC South, but still short of the playoffs.

Allen’s overall head coaching record with the Saints wraps up at 18 wins and 25 losses. Previously, he served as an assistant to head coach Sean Payton during the 2009 season, when the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV against the Indianapolis Colts.

Allen first got a taste of head coaching with the Raiders from 2012 to 2014, where he recorded eight wins and 28 losses before being let go after four straight losses in his final season. Both times Allen has been dismissed, Derek Carr was his starting quarterback — first with the Raiders and now with the Saints. Allen rejoined New Orleans in 2015 as defensive coordinator and served in that role until his promotion to head coach in 2022.

Allen’s departure marks the second head coach firing of the season. Robert Saleh of the New York Jets was the first, with Jeff Ulbrich stepping in as interim coach starting Week 6. The Saints, yet to name Allen’s replacement, need to start stacking up wins to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. They’ll face the division-leading Atlanta Falcons (6-3) at home this Sunday in Week 10.