The 2019 NFL schedule came out last week and proved once again that it's possible for a computer to be a New England Patriots fan.
Of course, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the Patriots will have another smooth ride to the playoffs. The scheduling algorithm apparently felt that Boston sports fans had suffered enough over the offseason, what with Rob Gronkowski's retirement announcement and whatever it is that's wrong with the Red Sox.
If you're keeping score at home, the Pats will play their Thursday night game at Gillette Stadium for the sixth time in the past seven years, which is only fair because a guy as good-looking as Tom Brady should not have to lose a spa day to travel midweek.
Don't know why anybody would get all worked up over it. These things eventually even out, or so the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills have been saying since Y2K.
Even before the scheduling computer started looking for ways to soften up the home-road mix, the Patriots' schedule was tied with those of four other teams for the second easiest in the league, based on the combined 2018 winning percentage of their opponents (.473).
