If they had an award for the comeback coordinator of the year in the NFL, Dennis Allen would have to be running away with it.

The New Orleans Saints' defense had turned into a punchline in recent years -- and it was again through the first two weeks of this season. But now it is delivering knockout blows, as the Saints (4-2) have won four straight games to emerge as one of the league's hottest teams.

But as you might have guessed, Allen isn't preparing any sort of acceptance speech.

"I know for me, specifically, I'm not looking for any type of validation," said Allen, who has been on the job since late in the 2015 season, when he took over after Rob Ryan was fired. "My focus is really all about, 'How do we play better as a defense and how do we continue to improve?' That's really all this is about.

"The thing about the NFL is the best teams are the most consistent teams. And that's really what my focus [is] and what our focus is as a team."