The defense is clearly better than it has been in a long time, and while they will have to deal with the loss of Wilfork all season and kelly for the time being it is clearly going to be a much better defense for the foreseeable future. the offense has struggled but for good reasons, and they should start improving immediately and continue to improve as the season goes on. However it is the big picture that matters most, and in that big picture they are 4-1 with a really tough game Sunday. So they were able to carve out 4-1 through the first 5 despite their injuries and inexperience, and given their next 5 games they have a decent shot at replicating that start. If they do they are sitting at 8-2, and they will own the east by virtue of their record in it, but even if they only go 3-2 they will still be sitting at 7-3 and in a great position to win the division and make the play-offs once again, unless the two losses come to NY and Miami, at which point the division will be somewhat up for grabs.
The next 5 weeks:
4-1-Sitting pretty for the stretch run.
3-2 Looking good but need to finish really strong.
2-3-time to start getting concerned.