The NFL schedule release carries an almost entirely predictable nature, with 14 of a team's 17 opponents for the foreseeable future planned for the next decade-plus.
But the stacking and scheduling of those games one after the other adds a sense of foreboding stakes to the affair, and that's particularly true when you're a team like the New England Patriots.
Getting back into the win column and playoff bracket's good graces won't be easy for the Patriots considering the opposing quarterbacks they'll face: the expected divisional slate is bad enough, with all-time talent Aaron Rodgers joining the fold for the New York Jets against rising aerial young stars Josh Allen (Buffalo) and Tua Tagovailoa (Miami).
Defensive back Adrian Phillips will be partly tasked with neutralizing those threats and addressed the challenges ahead on a recent episode of "NFL Total Access."
"It's going to be tough," Phillips told hosts Maurice Jones-Drew and Mike Yam "You know our division was already tough; Buffalo's been doing their thing, Josh Allen's been balling, you've got (head coach) Mike McDaniel down in Miami dialing it up, and then you get Aaron Rodgers going to the Jets, like it's crazy."
Beyond the East, the Patriots will also face young threats from abroad (Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Kenny Pickett), accomplished veterans seeking redemption (Dak Prescott, Derek Carr, Russell Wilson), old friends seeking to prove a point (Jimmy Garoppolo), and the most realistic threat to Tom Brady's status as the greatest thrower of all-time (Patrick Mahomes).
That's a gauntlet that would make even the soundest defensive groups sweat a bit. Phillips, however, welcomes the challenge on behalf of the Foxborough force.
"We're going in with the mindset that if we're just physical and we do our jobs, win all of our one-on-one matchups, we just go out there and play to the best of our abilities, then we can rock with anybody," Phillips said. "So we're not too worried about it, we actually love it because we love competition, love going against the best, and if you make it out of that division, you're battle-tested."
Every defense in the modern NFL would take pause at a set-up like that, but the Patriots' defense is likely among the groups more ready to take on such a challenge: paced by pass rushers Matt Judon and Josh Uche, New England retains a good amount of starters from a unit that ranked second in turnover and fifth in first downs against.
Phillips, in his third tour of Foxborough, tallied 66 tackles, including three for a loss. He and the secondary shined with four games of allowing less than 200 yards through the air and the Patriots went 3-1 in such contests. They will face each of the three teams they defeated in that stretch (Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, NY Jets) and all of them will likely have new men under center by the time of the rematches.
That, however, is life in the AFC, where some talented teams will no doubt miss the playoffs again. Among those on the outside looking in with the Patriots were the Steelers, Jets, and Denver Broncos, all of whom featured respectable defenses that weren't able to overcome shady passing play.
"You literally cannot take a week off. I mean this is the NFL anyways, you can get beat on any given Sunday, but in the AFC alone, we're just stacked," Phillips said. "If you look at our schedule this year, it's just stacked with a bunch of quarterbacks, a bunch of skill players who can take a slant for 80 yards. So we've got to make sure we're dialed in each and every week."
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
More Patriots coverage from Sports Illustrated here.
More must-reads: