There is no sugar-coating it: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gotten kicked around since their bye week.

After starting the season 6-2 before their Week 9 break, the Bucs have now dropped three straight games, the last of which was an absolute beatdown in primetime at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams (34-7).

The boys in red and pewter have been a wildly difficult team to watch, and the perspective of having a stint where they were atop the NFC and quarterback Baker Mayfield was a legitimate MVP candidate makes their fall from glory all the more painful.

As it has been intermittently throughout the past couple years, head coach Todd Bowles’ seat is now firmly in the "warm" category. But all smart football fans keep strength-of-schedule in mind when they are evaluating the hopelessness of their squad. And to all the Bucs fans: few have had it worse than you in the middle third of this season.

The four losses Tampa suffered around its bye week were to the Lions (7-4), the Patriots (10-2), the Bills (7-4) and the Rams (9-2). All four of those teams have cemented themselves as candidates for deep playoff runs.

Wounds are being licked, and injuries are being nursed; there’s no doubt about that. But that bright light at the end of the tunnel? It’s finally here.

Today’s Hottest Take: The Bucs Will Win Five of Their Last Six

That headline might read like misplaced optimism or “copium" as the kids call it, but one look at Tampa’s schedule and you might find yourself sharing the viewpoint.

After running the gauntlet in the middle part of their season, the Bucs are going to be rewarded with a six-week stretch during which they play teams with a combined record of 25-43. That’s not a joke. Weeks 13-18 are a beautiful cocktail of dumpy NFC South divisional opponents with the Cardinals and Dolphins mixed in as garnishes.

In order, starting from Week 13:

• Cardinals (3-8)

• Saints (2-9)

• Falcons (4-7)

• Panthers (6-6)

• Dolphins (4-7)

• Panthers (6-6)

There is no evidence pointing to the Bucs being in peak form right now. Sunday night’s loss to the Rams was about as disgusting as they can get when two winning teams play each other. But the Bucs still have command of the NFC South, and they have a chance to get healthier while winning games against objectively bad teams.

A 5-1 record in the Week 13-18 cakewalk will land the Bucs at 11-6 on the year—likely a No. 3 or 4 seed for the NFC playoffs. Looking at the schedule they play, a 5-1 record should be the floor for Bucs fans to expect if they want to feel good about their team’s chances entering the postseason.

What You Need to Know: The Injury Outlook is Part of the Optimism

A large consideration that added to the ugliness of Sunday’s game was the apparent injury to beloved Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield.

At the end of the first half, as time was expiring, when he was already grimacing in pain from an earlier hit to his left shoulder, he heaved a jump-ball well short of the goal line as a pass rusher fell on him. He stayed down, grimacing more noticeably as he held that shoulder.

Bucs fans held their breath, and they exhaled exasperatedly when the second half began and they found out he had been ruled out for the remainder of the game. They braced themselves for the worst when he went in for scans this week, knowing how horrendous backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looked when he came in in relief.

However, the scans came back with positive news: he has a low-grade sprain in the shoulder, and he could play again as soon as this weekend. To tack another positive onto that good news, the Bucs’ lead tailback, Bucky Irving, who has been out with multiple injuries since Week 4, could also play this weekend. Other "questionable" players who could come back include cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Ben Morrison, offensive guard Ben Bredeson and edge rusher Haason Reddick.

The Bucs dodged a bullet with Mayfield’s ailment, and with him just sitting on a list of dangerous players who could return from injury during the easy stretch of schedule, Bucs fans should feel like things will soon be looking up.

Before You Go: If Mayfield Plays, a Loss This Weekend Means Panic Button

It’s the Cardinals.

Not to degrade any NFL franchise, but Arizona does not exactly have high hopes for its season right now. With the Cardinals sitting at 3-8, coming off an overtime loss to Jacksonville that all but ended their year, this has to be a hammer spot for the Bucs in Tampa.

If Mayfield’s shoulder allows him to suit up, and Bucs fans are not subjected to any more awful Bridgewater play, they should expect a victory. Even though the Cardinals have been frisky—averaging about 385 air yards in their last two games—Tampa should win this game by two scores if the fans are to be instilled with confidence.

A loss would bring the Bucs to 6-6 on the year, and while they would still likely keep command of the NFC South, Bowles’ seat would go from warm to hot. Winning the NFC South is not the goal anymore—it’s just part of the expectation.