This was as embarrassing at it gets for the Green Bay Packers.

There was no excuse for their awful performance in a 38-28 loss against the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

It marks the low point of the Mike McCarthy coaching tenure in Green Bay and raises serious questions about where the Packers are heading.

Every loss is embarrassing, linebacker Nick Barnett said. For me, it doesnt matter what their record is. I think the most embarrassing thing for us is that we had this game won and we let them make a play.

Actually, no loss in the last four seasons under McCarthy was quite this bad, and a terrible Buccaneers team made not just one play, but several late in the game to stun the shell-shocked Packers.

Blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead against one of the worst teams in the NFL is bad enough, but the colossal collapse could ruin the Packers season.

The Buccaneers hadnt scored more than 21 points in a game all year, yet somehow found a way to outscore the Packers 21-0 in the final 11 minutes.

It was a meltdown at every level.

Youve got to have all three phases working: offense, defense and special teams, quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

We found out in the fourth quarter how ugly things look when none of those phases is functioning properly.

The Packers special teams allowed an 83-yard kickoff return to set up one Tampa Bay touchdown.

Then, the Packers defense got into the act by allowing rookie quarterback Josh Freeman, in his first NFL start, to direct a 72-yard touchdown drive that gave the Buccaneers their first lead.

While all this was happening, the Packers offense shut it down for the afternoon by going nowhere on its final four possessions. The Packers allowed three sacks during that abysmal stretch, committed a holding penalty and a Rodgers pass was intercepted and returned 35 yards for a touchdown.

This is the kind of defeat that could destroy a teams confidence. No one in the locker room was willing to admit it, but even McCarthy acknowledged that could be an issue. Im sure they dont feel very confident right now, he said of his players.

Asked whether this was a low point for him, McCarthy replied: It doesnt feel good. It never feels good when you lose. This one definitely hurts. Itll definitely rank up in there, but its still one loss. Im not trying to downplay it. Im disappointed in the way we played today.

We have some recurring problems that we have not cleaned up yet. Thats definitely cause for concern as we move forward.

The Packers appear to need more than a mere housecleaning. Their problems have become so persistent and widespread that major remodeling might be in order. Some restless Packers fans are calling for demolishing the existing structure and rebuilding from scratch.

While that approach is too rash at midseason, the Packers performance over the final eight games takes on far greater long-term significance.

I hope we have the resolve and the leadership to get through something like this, Rodgers said.

It wont be easy for a team unable to impose its will on the lowly Buccaneers.

If the Packers dont recover, there will be many more embarrassing moments in the second half of the season against much tougher opponents.

There's a difference between cockiness and confidence. Believing in your own abilities is good, thinking you're better than the man you need to beat is not. You consistently need to perform at a high level, and there is a mental aspect to that. Confidence brings consistency, cockiness brings laziness and penalties.

And there are a lot of players on this team that consistently do their job. In fact, I think the worst thing that could happen here is Rodgers losing his confidence. If this year has to be a stepping stone towards next year's playoff run with much better play, so be it. But I've been very worried about Rodger's confidence, technique/decision making under pressure, and health ever since the O-Line imploded.

"Porforis" wrote: