THE New Orleans Saints are in the exact same situation as the Las Vegas Raiders were a year ago. Like Vegas, the Saints made a midseason coaching change amid a disastrous year, with interim Darren Rizzi taking over for the fired Dennis Allen. And like Vegas, the Saints have not lost since: with victories against the Atlanta Falcons and the Cleveland BrownsRizzi has already matched Allen’s win total this season in just two games.

But beyond the victories, he did much more to win back a locker room. Allen had apparently lost. The confidence he has restored in the Saints program could be enough for New Orleans to follow in the Raiders’ footsteps the rest of the way, suspending the coaching search and handing the job to Rizzi full-time once the season ended.

According to Dianna Russini of The AthleticRizzi made a strong case for promotion. He has done everything so far to win back a locker room and fan base on the brink of collapse. But is that enough to truly consider him the best person to lead the Saints after this season?

But as simple a decision as this may be, it also may not be the most ideal situation going forward.

Just look at Las Vegas. The Raiders promoted Antonio Pierce after helping Vegas turn around late in the 2023 season. But having the head job, period, is a different animal, and sure, the team looks nothing like this which she did last year.

Sure, the roster bears some of the blame, but Pierce hasn’t done much to get the most out of the players he has. He was the choice of the locker room because he was able to bring together a fractured team; they had something to believe in after he arrived, and it helped them achieve some success in the midst of a losing season. This year things didn’t go as well.

Pierce will likely have some wiggle room and at least another year to turn things around, but this is a stark reminder that recency bias is a real thing. Just because you can rally a team looking for a reason not to give up doesn’t mean you can lead an NFL team through an offseason program and a full 17-game schedule. But who knows? maybe Rizzi is just a better coach than Pierce. If the locker room and team pressured the front office to promote Rizzi like the Raiders did, then the team might be forced to hire him.