Andrew Luck’s retirement altered the 2019 NFL landscape in many ways.



One important detail remained unchanged: The defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots are still scheduled to play the easiest slate of opposing quarterbacks.



It’s not breaking news that the Patriots have navigated a smooth divisional road over the past couple of decades. Whether you believe the rest of the AFC East has enabled the Patriots’ success, crumbled under New England’s dominant reign or done a little of both, this column does not diminish what the Super Bowl champs have accomplished (there’s proof at the end of this column).



Still, no other team faces more lower-tier quarterbacks this season. Eleven of the Patriots’ 16 opponents feature quarterbacks who placed in the third or fourth tiers when I asked 55 coaches and executives to evaluate all the starters.



The bottom line: New England will play the easiest slate of opposing...