A lot went wrong for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but one specific area stood out above the rest.
Special teams was once again a major problem, this time being too much for the team to ultimately overcome. The Bucs had gotten lucky the first few weeks but things caught up to them in the form of a blocked punt that the Eagles returned for an early touchdown.
It's the third blocked kick in as many weeks and the second straight game where an opponent has returned one for a touchdown. While Tampa Bay battled back, the end result was the team's first loss of the season.
Head coach Todd Bowles called the unit out after the game and went a step further on Monday to discuss potential changes that will be made.
Buccaneers hint at potential changes after another Special Teams disaster
Two turnovers helped push the Bucs into the loss column on Sunday -- Bucky Irving's "fumble" and a brutal Baker Mayfield interception -- but it was that blocked punt return for a touchdown that instantly set the wrong tone.
Bowles didn't announce any changes to the coaching staff on Monday but seemed to bump right up against that line when addressing what the next steps are to fixing the problem.
"It's all bad, and we've got to correct that," Bowles said on Monday. "We're looking at all avenues to improve our special teams. All-inclusive. It's coaching, it's personnel. It's never just one."
Immediately after the loss on Sunday, Bowles implied rather openly that Thomas McGaughey is on the hot seat, stopping short of saying as much. His frustration was clear, and it's one shared by Bus fans who have been strapped in A Clockwork Orange style and forced to watch mistake after mistake.
It started with Chase McLaughlin missing kicks -- something that has since seemingly been corrected -- and continued with three straight games with blocked kicks. Each time the momentum swing wasn't hard enough that it knocked the Bucs off, but this third time proved to be one flight too close to the sun too many.
Where the Bucs battled back with last-minute comeback drives against the Texans and Jets, the Eagles used the blocked punt return as a springboard to roar out to a 24-6 halftime lead. Given how impressive Tampa Bay was in the second half in fighting back, it made the mistake even worse and magnified the problem on special teams.
It seems unlikely that a coaching change will happen before the trip to Seattle in Week 5, but it's clear the Bucs have a massive flaw. Something has to change, otherwise it's going to give and it'll look a lot like what happened on Sunday against the Eagles.
More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors