The New Orleans Saints have gotten off to a very rocky start, with a 1-6 record and a slew of disappointing performances through the first seven weeks of action.

However, there's still time to turn it around, and the Black and Gold will face its first divisional test on Sunday as it welcomes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Caesars Superdome.

What must the Saints do to come out on top and pull off the upset? Here are three keys to success that could be the difference between a big win and yet another gut wrenching loss.

Defensive secondary must have a season-best performance. 

The Buccaneers will be without standout wide receiver Mike Evans for the majority of the season, as he suffered a broken collarbone in the team's loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday. Likewise, Tampa Bay has officially ruled out wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. and running back Bucky Irving for Sunday's contest; neither have played in the last few games for the Bucs. 

The last time the Saints played against a team that was missing plenty of star power downfield was on Oct. 5 against the New York Giants... and it ended up being their only win of the season. Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry recorded two interceptions on the day, and the unit as a whole significantly limited standout rookie signal-caller Jaxson Dart.

Of course, Baker Mayfield is playing like a top-tier quarterback, and he's got a knack for getting all of his teammates involved. It will be much tougher to defend downfield against him, but right now, New Orleans needs to take advantage of the limited wide receiver room and force Mayfield to either make things work on the ground or throw 50-50 balls to his second and third-string wideouts.

Alvin Kamara must begin to find some separation.

Kamara just hasn't looked like the running back that Saints fans know and love.

Yes, he's getting older and doesn't have much help from his offensive line, but it's been disheartening to see just how limited he's been through seven games. So far this year, Kamara has rushed the ball 94 times for 342 yards and just one touchdown. His longest run so far has gone for 18 yards -- other than that, he hasn't had much of a chance to breakaway and make big plays.

Kamara is a big missing piece for the Black and Gold, and a breakthrough performance from him could turn New Orleans' offense from predictable and stale to multi-faceted. He's definitely going to need some help from his o-line to get there, but everyone knows he's more than capable of making those big plays when necessary. 

Spencer Rattler must protect the football.

Rattler had an ugly showing against the Chicago Bears last weekend.

The second-year quarterback had four turnovers on the day -- two interceptions and a pair of lost fumbles. In all honesty, he came very close to having a few additional interceptions with the number of times he threw into traffic and a Bears player managed to get a hand on the ball.

There have been quite a few times this year when Rattler has made rushed, inaccurate reads that have nearly been costly for his team. He can't afford to make any of those mistakes against Tampa Bay -- not only because the Bucs will undoubtedly make him pay, but because he needs to get a bit of confidence back and show that he can he is still the Saints' answer behind center.