There are no two ways about it. The North Queensland Cowboys put up the worst defensive display in NRL history on Thursday evening.
Sometimes the scoreboard doesn't tell the whole story, but this time, in Townsville, in front of their home fans and up against a red-hot Sydney Roosters side, the Cowboys were every bit as bad as the 82 points they conceded suggests.
In fact, you'd argue it almost could have been more.
James Tedesco heading off at halftime with an ankle complaint actually stunted the Roosters attack for a little while, and despite having quality ball and half chances, they went more than ten minutes without scoring.
For the rest of the contest, that length of time without the scoreboard ticking along was unheard of.
The Roosters were clinical for most of the game, but they were aided by some of the simplest tries in recent memory.
The almost comical picture of Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase giving three Cowboys players a piggy back to score, just minutes after they had gone over untouched, one-out off a scrum, probably summed up the night.
There was more of course, with a number of simple one-on-one missed tackles and poor efforts allowing the Roosters to pour on the score where they were ahead of the clock at both halftime and fulltime.
The Cowboys, through coach Todd Payten and captain Reuben Cotter, didn't try to sugar coat things in the post-match press conference - and to be fair, they couldn't have.
Cotter looked on the verge of tears, labelling it the most embarrassing day of his career, while Payten delivered an apology to fans and members, but jumped on the defensive in suggesting he wasn't about to change his team over the performance.
And while you could make an argument around some of the efforts, changing the team and throwing the baby out with the bath water simply won't help the Cowboys on the run to the finals, which they are very much still a strong chance of making.
Cast the mind back just five days, and the Cowboys knocked over the Brisbane Broncos in an always tense Queensland derby.
That was their third win in four starts too, with the same Cowboys team who had the wheels fall off on Thursday recording wins over the Penrith Panthers and Manly Sea Eagles recently.
Those games, compared with one of the easier runs to the finish line - the Gold Coast Titans (away), Parramatta Eels (away), bye, Wests Tigers (home) and Canberra Raiders (home) mean the club are still in a good spot when it comes to finals chances.
But there is little doubt if they don't make it, fingers will be pointed at Thursday night's game, and by extension, both the coach, his staff, and senior players who clearly never got off the team bus in Townsville.
Because to be a professional rugby league player and defend like the Cowboys did on Thursday isn't good enough.
While they are still a chance for the finals, there is every chance Payten will stick solid, but more losses in the coming weeks could lead to both squad changes and roster questions, as well as eyebrows being raised around the future of Payten.
Payten's job security, from the outside looking in, has never looked all that solid.
He has re-signed with the Cowboys, but given he came into the season in what some were describing as a three or four-way sack race, and has struggled to get out of his team what he should have in recent years, it won't take much for the pressure to build again.
Really, it's finals or bust for the Cowboys, and Thursday's contest makes that exceptionally hard.
If there is a positive, it's that the Townsville-based outfit have seven days to sort it out before they run into the Titans on a five-day turnaround.
That game on the Gold Coast is essentially win or bust.
Lose that one and changes will be needed.
Payten must surely know that, even if now isn't the time for those questions to be answered.
A historic night will do that, and so it should.
