Green Bay Packers fans have endured enough playoff special teams blunders over the years.
Hiring Rich Bisaccia was supposed to solve that. The Packers made him the league's highest-paid special teams coordinator to fix a unit that lost a playoff game on the back of a blocked-punt touchdown. Unfortunately, fourth down remains a nightmare.
The Packers lost to the Eagles by 12 points, but it would've been a far closer contest had Bisaccia's unit played clean football.
It started from the first play. Keisean Nixon fumbled on the kickoff, and while the refs got the call wrong after he appeared to recover it, the Eagles took possession and quickly scored a touchdown. It put the Packers behind the eight-ball immediately.
Matt LaFleur understandably didn't like the ref's call, but the blame falls on Bisaccia for the Packers' continuous special-teams blunders. Nixon's fumble was just the beginning.
The Packers lost 10 yards on a kick-return penalty and then missed a 38-yard field goal, making it three costly errors in the first half alone.
Is it Bisaccia's fault for fumbling the ball or missing a kick? Not directly, but when Green Bay's special teams fail to show up time and again, the blame eventually falls on the coach. The playoff performance was a microcosm of the past two years.
Special teams continue to haunt the Packers, and it could cost Bisaccia his job.
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There's a reason why the Packers finished the regular season with Pro Football Focus' worst special teams grade. It's something different in every game.
In Week 18, the Packers were fooled by a Bears trick play, resulting in a punt-return touchdown that contributed to their downfall.
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It's often the decision-making. Rewind to the win over the Houston Texans in Week 7. Nixon bizarrely left a punt alone at the final moment, which led to it deflecting off Corey Ballentine and handing the ball back to Houston. Later in the game, Jayden Reed fair-caught a ball at the 2-yard line instead of letting it bounce into the end zone. It was a snapshot of the Packers' season-long special teams woes and reflected poorly on Bisaccia.
This group regularly makes routine mistakes. They should know better.
On Sunday, Green Bay lost by 12 points. It spotted Philadelphia a seven-point lead after Nixon's fumble, a moment that swung the entire game in what turned out to be a defensive battle. Brandon McManus' miss cost them a further three points.
Once again, special teams haunted the Packers in the playoffs. It hurts even more because general manager Brian Gutekunst has prioritized special teams contributors by bringing in players like Nixon, Zayne Anderson, and Eric Wilson.
Green Bay has failed to make significant progress in Bisaccia's three-year tenure. It's time for change.