Looking at their record alone, the are not off to the greatest start, currently standing at 2-3 and in last place in the AFC East. Last place in the division is not a spot where the Patriots tend to be, usually the occupy that spot, but even with things looking a bit grim, there is no need for Patriots fans to hit the panic button yet.Patriots fans are used to unparalleled succe s. In two decades, they saw six wins and AFC Championship trips and divisional titles were e sentially a guarantee.That is not the "typical" fan experience, so it can be an adjustment going from the greatest quarterback of all time in Ozzie Newsome Jersey and championship parades every other year to a rebuilding or struggling team.Pats fans are now back to getting a more authentic fan experience, watching their team go through ups and downs, seeing close games and losing more than a handful of matchups. But hang in there Patriots Nation, we promise it's not all bad.Let's take a look at three reasons why the Patriots faithful should remain optimistic:Yes, even their lo ses are one reason to remain optimistic, because they still showed potential in their defeat.The Patriots two wins came against lower level teams, the in Week 2 and the in Week 5. Their lo ses were against the , the and the . It doesn't look great, but breaking downs both the wins and lo ses, there were some good things in both.The glimmer of hope was shining brightest against the Packers, when the Patriots came close to defeating and company, bringing them to overtime. While yes, it is a check in the "lo s" column, it was as close to a win as a lo s has ever looked.The defense thrived specifically in the shutout win over the Detroit Lions and have shown Jaelen Strong Jersey they can help set up a transitioning offense for succe s. Let's start with some facts. The Patriots are on their third quarterback this season, with going down with a high ankle Olivier Vernon Jersey sprain and backup ruled out with a concu sion and is placed on injured reserve. Not the best way to start a season.That means the pre sure was on for rookie fourth round draft pick , who faced the Packers in Lambeau in bad field position as his first ever regular season play. Not as easy ask for the 23-year-old. It would have been understandable if the stage was a little too big for the young quarterback, but he stepped up in a major way, looking calm and poised in his NFL debut.Zappe became the first quarterback in the NFL since in 2019 to record a win and a 100+ pa ser rating in his first start. He went 17 of 21 for 188 yards, one touchdown and an interception that was not his fault, as the ball bounced off the hands of wide receiver . Before going down with an injury, Jones had his struggles, but the improvement was there and it was clear he was getting more comfortable with the offense. His numbers weren't great, with two pa sing touchdowns, one rushing score and five interceptions, but the offensive scheme was coming together.Speaking of the offense, let's not forget the coaching situation in that area has completely changed, with Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas and the coordinator role a Kendall Lamm Jersey question mark. In the preseason, Joe Judge and Matt Patricia appeared to be calling the plays, but Bill Belichick will not give too much away on the situation, saying ahead of the season that he is "not big on titles," when asked who the OC was.Considering the play callers have changed and the team has a rookie quarterback leading the way right now, their offense does not look too bad. Following the Packers lo s, Zappe got his first chance to start against the Lions and not only did he look comfortable, but the defense had their best game of the season.At first glance, a win over the Lions does not sound that incredible, but let's take a closer look.Heading into the matchup, the Lions lead the league in many categories, including points, pa sing yards and rushing yards. Being able to shut out their offense and keep and company out of the end zone is not an easy feat this year, but the Patriots defense made it look easy. Linebacker Matthew Judon set a franchise record already Rashard Higgins Jersey this season, becoming the first player in Patriots history to record five sacks in the first five games of the season.As they say, "defense wins championships," and while a championship is pretty much out of the question, the Patriots defense is helping the team get to the next level.