​As if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t already have enough obstacles to overcome, the team may have to play its Thursday Night Football clash against the Dallas Cowboys without kicker Chase McLaughlin.According to Rick Stroud, McLaughlin didn’t practice on Tuesday and was a new addition to the Bucs’ injury report with a right groin/hip injury.The Bucs desperately need to find a way to get their first win of the season on Thursday against a Cowboys team Tampa head coach Todd Bowles called “the most physically gifted team” Tampa will face all season. Playing against Dallas without McLaughlin would make it even more difficult for the Bucs to win. At 0-4, Tampa can’t afford to drop a fifth straight game to open the season if it wants any possibility of the miraculous turnaround it needs to still make the playoffs.The Bucs are already two games behind the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South, and must not fall any further behind if they want any chance at all of clawing their way back into the race to win the division.McLaughlin Has Been OutstandingMcLaughlin has been outstanding for the Bucs this season and has been one of the very few bright spots for Tampa during its dreadful 0-4 start.In fact, it is fair to say that he is in the running with rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter as the Bucs’ best player over the first month of the season.Having a kicker be your best player over the season’s first four games is probably not something any NFL team hopes for, but that doesn’t take away from how great McLaughlin has been so far.McLaughlin, 30, is in his fourth year with the Bucs. He has given the Bucs stability at the position and has found a long-term home in Tampa after bouncing around several teams during the first four seasons of his eight-year career.This season, McLaughlin has been perfect. He is 9-for-9 on his field goal attempts, with a long of 59 yards, while also making all seven of his extra points.McLaughlin is one of several key Bucs who are playing on the last year of their contracts. Having a kicker who is both almost automatic and has a huge leg is a huge advantage for any team and should make keeping McLaughlin a top priority for the Bucs next offseason.McLaughlin is 3-for-3 from 50 yards and beyond this season and has made 14 of his last 15 attempts from 50+, including connecting on 11 straight such tries last year to set an NFL single-season record.Final ThoughtsIf McLaughlin can’t give it a go on Thursday, the Bucs will have an even more daunting task in front of them.However, Stroud points out that Tampa has yet to sign another kicker to either the 53-man roster or the practice squad. Hopefully, that is a good sign that McLaughlin’s injury is minor and the Bucs are confident he will be able to play against the Cowboys.