In the NFL, special teams are easy to ignore. That is, until they shift the course of a game or even an entire season. Coaches and fans expect perfection out of these units. When anything goes wrong, alarms begin to sound.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been shaky at best on special teams early in the 2025 season. Multiple blocked kicks and punts over the last three weeks have threatened to derail what should be an encouraging season. The Bucs' offense and defense have been largely exceptional thus far, but special teams struggles have cost them significantly.
Punter Riley Dixon knows there's no room for error. Speaking to the media about his role in the mess, he left no doubt about what needs to happen moving forward.
Buccaneers punter Riley Dixon knows what needs to happen to fix special teams woes
According to Buccaneers insider Greg Auman, Dixon said, "I've got a job to do. That doesn't change regardless of who's here or where I am. I know what my job is. I know what the standard is. I hold myself to a higher standard than anything any coach or the organization could put on us."
He followed it up by saying, "I know what it's supposed to look like. This is my 10th season, over 150 games. We know what it takes to get it done, and we will this week."
It's exactly what fans want to hear, but there needs to be a real change on the football field before trust can be mended. At the end of the day, Dixon's shortcomings played a major role in Tampa Bay's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week. Early in the game, he had a punt blocked and returned 35 yards for a touchdown that gave the Eagles a lead. The Buccaneers fought back later in the game, but they couldn't overcome the early deficit.
Dixon had a punt blocked against the Houston Texans as well. The mistake nearly cost them the win as they excaped with a narrow one-point victory.
Some of the blame certainly falls on the protection, but the veteran punter is known for holding onto the ball longer than most. The delay gives his team a chance to reach the returner quickly, but it comes with the obvious risk of a block.
With as bad as the Buccaneers' special teams have been through the first month of the season, this team is lucky to be off to a good start. Dixon and the rest of the special teams units need to step up before their struggles cost the team any more wins.