Important quotes after the Saints loss to the Bengals focus on play-calling at the end of the game

Head Coach Dennis Allen

On the loss, generally:

“I thought our guys fought their tails off, we just didn’t make enough plays there at the end to win it. I was proud of the way our guys competed, but yet disappointed that we did not make those plays at the end of the game that give us the opportunity to win the game. So, short turnaround, Thursday night game so we got a lot of stuff to work on in a short period of time.”

On whether injuries are affecting team chemistry:

“No. Look, I thought we had the right gameplan and I thought for the most part, the better part of the game, we executed that gameplan. I thought the game came down to the redzone. We had some opportunities to get off the field in the red zone, we did not do that. And we didn’t score enough touchdowns in the redzone and there lies the difference in the game. I think the final stats we were 1-of-5, and they were 3-of-3. So, of all the things that go on in the game, it came down to that one statistical category.”

On the ultra-conservative offensive play-calling to end the game:

“Well, I didn’t see exactly what the final stats were, but we ran for a lot of yards, so that effective, so, look we’re trying to get the first down, we got into a third and manageable situation and we didn’t convert. And that’s really what you are trying to do. You’re trying to get yourself worst case scenario in a third and manageable, we did that and didn’t convert.”

On if he perceived the defense’s tackling as an issue:

“Yes, I did. We did not tackle well. The biggest thing was that we had opportunities to win in the red zone and we didn’t. You know, when we get them (Cincinnati) third and, I think it was third and eight or nine on the nine, you know, I’m expecting to win that down. And we didn’t do that. To me that is the biggest difference in the game.”

On the defensive call for Cincinnati’s last touchdown:

“We were in man defense. Look, they (Cincinnati) got a kicker (in the event they tried to kick a field goal) who can kick it a long way and so we got to execute the punt better in that situation. We gave them the ball in good field position. You’re not going to be able to sit back and be ultra conservative in that situation. We missed a tackle, and a good player took it all the way. I thought up until that moment we had actually done a solid job on (Ja’Marr) Chase you know. Half of his receiving yards came on that one play.”

On the play of the defensive line:

“I thought we did not finish on [Joe Burrow]. We had a couple of opportunities to finish on him and we didn’t. One scramble for a touchdown, I feel like we had a lot of bodies in that area, and we couldn’t get him on the ground. And then we had another pressure late in the game that came free that could’ve been a sack. You have to give him (Burrow) credit. He does an unbelievable job in the pocket of somehow avoiding the rush and getting out of there and he made a couple big plays doing that.”

On his message to the team after the loss:

“Just go back to work. Go back to work. That’s all you can do. And that’s what we are going to do. We are going to go back to work, put a good plan together got Arizona and go out and compete our ass off and play good.”