Things aren't going well for the New Orleans Saints.

At 1-3, with an injury list as long as a laundry list, something needs to change soon if the Saints aim to salvage the season.

Veteran running back Alvin Kamara believes that one change is New Orleans taking care of the ball and limiting penalties.

“We’ve been kind of killing ourselves,” Kamara, who had a fumble of his own that was returned for a score in a loss at Carolina two weeks ago, said. “We’ve beaten ourselves every game. … That’s not something that we’re characteristically known for.”

New Orleans currently leads the NFL in turnovers with 11. And the 8.5 penalties a game are the second-most in the league.

How New Orleans can be better

Kamara is fed up with the lackadaisical play. If the Saints aren't taking care of the ball during practice, during the week, i"t ends up happening on Sunday — and it’s not like we can re-do it," Kamara said.

You end up losing. And that’s what happened.”

Despite the struggles, Kamara and his team aren't losing confidence. New Orleans is a few plays away from being a better team. And it can only get to that point if it takes steps at improvement one game at a time.

"I don’t see any panic in any of these guys, but we definitely have a sense of urgency because we’re used to winning," said Kamara, who expects to return from a rib injury that sidelined him for two of New Orleans' past three games. "We still have a lot of goals we want to achieve right now and it’s not out of reach. It’s just a little blurry right now.”

We will see if New Orleans is able to get out of its funk. That pressure falls on Dennis Allen's game plan and the veterans playing like they have something to lose.

Related New Orleans Saints reading

"Three takeaways from new Orleans' 1-3 start to the season." 

"Saints RB provides positive news." 

Feature image via Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports.