Bucs coach Todd Bowles.

Last spring when the schedule came out, every Bucs fan and his sister drooled over the final six games.

Why, playing slimy Saints, the Dixie Chicks, the Stinking Panthers (twice), the tanking Dolphins and the rotten Cardinals, it was a complete cakewalk.

Instead, Moe shoved Curly’s grill right into the cake.

Nah-ah … ah… ah… ah!

And no, the Bucs were not a victim of soy-cumstance.

So, looking at this year’s schedule, specifically the final nine games, and using last year’s homestretch as a guide, veteran NFL scribe Ralph Vacchiano of FOX sees the Bucs having a forgettable season.

In fact, Vacchiano thinks the Bucs, entering underwear football season, are the No. 22 team in the NFL. And that means unless the Bucs win the soft NFC South, no playoff soup for you.

#22 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Super Bowl odds: +5000

The first half of their schedule is easy compared to what awaits them in the second half. Their last nine games include trips to Chicago, Detroit and Baltimore and home games against the Chargers and Rams.

And then you factor in KitKat-eating Todd Bowles’ AFC North hex, this is not helping Joe sleep at night.

Aside from Bowles’ being shutout by AFC North teams, the Bucs struggle mightily in Chicago (they’re 2-6 in the Second City this century last winning there in 2008), and we all know how Sean McVay and his Rams boat race Bowles’ defenses, 2026 seems like it may be an uphill climb.