NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Before interim New Orleans Saints coach Darren Rizzi disappeared down a tunnel toward the locker room, he paused, holding his gold, team-issued hat high above his head, and acknowledged fans still celebrating his triumphant debut in the Superdome. Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in his second game for New Orleans, and the Saints began Rizzi's tenure by snapping a seven-game skid with a 20-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. “What an unbelievable week,” said Rizzi, a 54-year-old, north New Jersey native and long-time special teams coach who was given his first head coaching opportunity on Monday after the firing of third-year coach Dennis Allen .
“Today doesn't happen without complete buy-in,” Rizzi added. “This city is starving for some wins and we were hungry to give them one — and that was awesome.” Rizzi's auspicious debut came not only against the NFC South’s first-place team, but the Saints' oldest regional rival.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who had 109 yards from scrimmage and became the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, said New Orleans' recipe for winning “was just missing something — and I feel like we got that thing.” “Rizzi came in and he had a clear message,” Kamara continued. “Unity was one of the words of the week.
When you’re united, you all believe and you’re all together, man, there’s so much you can do.” Tyrann Mathieu thwarted a promi.
