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Dennis Allen doesn’t think Saints late TD is sign of “fracture” between players, coaches

A heated exchange at the end of Sunday’s Saints win over the Falcons saw since-fired Falcons head coach Arthur Smith blow his top at Saints head coach Dennis Allen over a late touchdown that the Saints scored in the 48-17 win.

In his postgame press conference, Allen said he called to take a knee but players went rogue to get veteran running back Jamaal Williams a touchdown with just over a minute left on the clock. Allen said it was “unacceptable” and quarterback Jameis Winston, who was in at the time, said the team made the decision to do so despite understanding that Allen did not “condone” scoring in that spot.

On Monday, Allen said he didn’t think that the players going off script was a sign of a break between them and the coaching staff.

“Those players went out and played their tail off the last five games of the season, and I’ve been on teams where that doesn’t happen,” Allen said, via Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “No, I don’t believe there was a fracture.”

Sunday’s win gave the Saints a winning record for the season and gave Allen a 16-18 record for his tenure. There’s no sign that the Saints are considering a change, but Year Three may need to end with a playoff spot for that to remain the case.