The Bucs, depleted at CB, had no match for Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas. (US Presswire)

One bad quarter -- perhaps Tampa Bay's worst of the entire season -- proved too much to overcome as the Buccaneers fell to .500 with Sunday's loss at Denver.

Offense: C-

Too little, too late. Sure, the Bucs put up 23 points, a respectable total. They tallied 306 yards of offense and averaged the exact same 5.0 yards per play Denver did. But the offense played so poorly in the third quarter that it ruined any chance Tampa Bay had of pulling off a road upset.

The team's third quarter drives covered 2, minus-2, 2, 14 and 16 yards. None lasted longer than four plays, meaning the defense never got much of a chance to rest. QB Josh Freeman threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Even reasonably strong first- and fourth-quarter performances weren't enough to overcome that poor stretch. Last game's grade: B

Defense: B

It wasn't a perfect outing by any stretch, but given the current state of the cornerback position and the talent of Denver QB Peyton Manning and his top receivers, Demaryius Thomas  and Eric Decker, the Bucs turned in a more-than-respectable performance. After giving up a touchdown on the Broncos' first drive, Tampa Bay forced four consecutive punts, spanning the rest of the first quarter, the entire second quarter and the first drive of the third.

The defense gave its teammates on offense a chance to build a lead. It's tough to blame the defense for much of what transpired in the third quarter -- it simply isn't fair to expect rookie CB Leonard Johnson to be able to match up against the aforementioned Thomas. Last game's grade: C

Special Teams: A

Nothing went wrong here. K Connor Barth was strong, making all three of his field goals. P Michael Koenen averaged 51.4 yards per attempt and boomed a 63-yarder. The return units never got a chance to do much, but PR Roscoe Parrish did manage a 15-yard return on his lone opportunity. Last game's grade: B

Coaching: B-

If halftime is when coaches get a chance to make adjustments and tune up for the second half, coach Greg Schiano and his staff failed miserably in their chance to do so. The third quarter was an utter disaster.

The offense probably stuck with RB Doug Martin a bit too long in a game when Tampa Bay knew it would have to score plenty of points to win, as Martin got 18 carries despite only averaging 3.1 yards per try and failing to break a run of any more than nine yards. Freeman wasn't great on Sunday, but the offense's best hope was through the air. Last game's grade: A-

For more from Tampa Bay Bucs blogger Patrick Southern, follow @CBSBucs on Twitter.