Alvin Kamara doesn't do a lot of talking, but when he does -- he's got something important to say.
That's why when he held court in the visitor locker room following a 24-15 loss to the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, he had some important truth to share to more than just the reporters in attendance.
“We don’t have an identity as a team," Kamara said, bluntly. "We’re a team that says we want to do [more], and we don’t do, and it shows. We’re consistently inconsistent.”
The Saints running back admitted that topsy-turvy run to 5-6 this season is the most frustrated he's been in his 7 years in the NFL, although he admits there have been similar moments of frustration in the past.
Kamara knows exactly what it takes to be successful, with the Saints making trips to the postseason in each of his first four seasons. But the three years since Drew Brees retired? Those have been marked by inconsistency, quarterback changes and near misses.
Perhaps the biggest source of frustration is the familiarity of it all. As has been the case in a majority of the Saints losses this year, the offense moved the ball seemingly at will, but red zone efficiency was elusive as ever. This time the Saints went 0-for-5 in the red zone, with those trips marred by penalties, miscues and turnovers. The Saints' 15 points came on five field goals, even as the offense rolled up more than 400 yards of offense, 119 of which came from Kamara, who had no interest in identifying any silver linings.
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"We lost. I’m not happy about any of it," Kamara said. "I love Grupe to death, but we can’t kick field goals and win the game. It just is what it is. You’ve got to score touchdowns and we’re not scoring touchdowns and it’s blatant. It’s very evident.”
The two biggest blunders came in the form or turnovers, with Derek Carr picked off by Jessie Bates for what turned into a 92-yard return touchdown. Still, the biggest momentum swing came later, with Bates punching out a fumble from Taysom Hill as he brought the ball inside the Falcons' 10 on the final play of the third quarter. The Saints trailed 14-12 at the time, with even a field goal enough to retake the lead. Instead the Falcons drove 95 yards for a touchdown that would effectively ice the result.
The messaging will continue to be positive from the top down, echoed by Carr. Stay together, fix mistakes and find better football. But time is running out. Six games remain in the 2023 regular season and a golden opportunity to seize control of the NFC South was squandered. The Saints still control their own destiny, but their margin has been narrowed significantly. New Orleans and Atlanta both sit at 5-6, and the rematch in Week 18 looms large if the Saints can force a scenario where that game matters. That'll require wins in the meantime, which will be difficult to find in Week 13 when the Lions arrive at the Superdome to face a Saints team that looks like it'll be even further depleted by injures. Both WR Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave left with injuries in this game, and Michael Thomas is already on injured reserve.
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In the meantime Kamara says he'll continue to go to work, and so will his teammates. The locker room is sticking together and continuing to play for each other. That's how, Kamara says, he knows the locker hasn't been "lost," as fans and media will often phrase it. But that doesn't mean anyone is OK with the results of this season. The question remains, though, can this team fix what it needs to fix and get back to the postseason, or is there just more frustration on the horizon?
"For whatever reason it’s just week in and week out it keeps sticking," Kamara said. So ... we’ve got to find something different to do and we just need to do [it]. I just feel like there’s too much talking, talking about what we need to do. We’ve got to find a real fix, not just a, 'oh we want to be better.' Because that’s – sh**, you want to be better every week. It’s obvious. Let’s get past that. We already know we’ve got to be better. How are we gonna get better? What are we gonna do to get better?”
The Saints need to figure that out. They need to find an identity. They need to do it fast.