The NFL released its full 2018 schedule on Thursday night, and although attempting to read too much into it on April 19 is the ultimate exercise in futility, let's take a look at a few of the seemingly more manageable slates on paper. Again, on paper, on April 19, one week before the draft and months before injuries and other factors change completely the complexion of how things appear now.
PATRIOTS
No team would be less likely to receive sympathy if the opposite were true, but after several months of unrest for the Patriots, they can sleep just a bit easier Thursday night with a schedule unlikely to stop them from their 17th division title — including 10 in a row — in 19 seasons under Bill Belichick.