The New England Patriots are enjoying their bye week, sitting atop the AFC East with a 5-2 record and having thoroughly dominated their last two opponents by the combined score of 94-7.

But what do we know about this team? Bill Belichick has often said that it takes weeks to discover a team’s true identity, that it can’t be seen in weeks one or two. New England has seven games under its belt to this point, however, and now its essence is beginning to take shape. This is a team that at its best can likely beat any opponent, but needs all phases to be functioning at a high level for that to be possible.

This is not 2007, when the Patriots could score so many points that the defense could have an off game and it wouldn’t matter. Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker would simply put up scores previously only seen in a game of “Madden” on a consistent basis.

Nor is it 2003-04, when the defense was so dominating and able to come up with big plays on a weekly basis that if the offense sputtered, 14 points would still be enough to win a game.

They have taken steps forward in different areas on a week-to-week basis, though the improvement and play of Brady is the main concern of many. He has gotten better, looking more and more like the player everyone remembers as his comfort in the pocket improves and his confidence in his reconstructed knee grows.

The offense has been stellar at times and has stalled at others — witness the second halves of the Jets and Denver games — and continues to search for a third option at receiver with Joey Galloway gone and Julian Edelman on the shelf with a broken arm.

Both Moss and Welker have been playing through injury, but they continue to show that they are among the best receivers in the NFL. Moss can still blow past top cornerbacks, is still able to lull them to sleep with his change-of-pace route-running and now goes across the middle as well. Welker is shifty and quick, eluding would-be tacklers as he eats up yards after the catch.

At times, the run game has been excellent and the necessary complement to the passing game. Fred Taylor had his big game against Baltimore, only to suffer an ankle injury that required surgery. Sammy Morris, called “The Bull” by his teammates, got the tough yards. And Laurence Maroney flashed the greatness so many have wondered about against the Titans.

Yet it also has been a non-factor at times, as against the Buccaneers, when the running backs gained just 68 yards against the most porous run defense in the league.

Not all of that blame can be placed on the backs, of course. More often than not, they are counting on the offensive line to open holes, and Maroney likely did himself few favors with that group of teammates a couple of weeks ago when he alluded to poor blocking occasionally being an issue.

The defense, a question mark at the beginning of the season, has shown to be better than many expected. The secondary in particular is excelling, as the players learn each others’ tendencies on the field; of the seven primary contributors in the unit, five were not with New England last year, and two of those are rookies.

With Jerod Mayo back in his rightful place at the center of the defense and Vince Wilfork playing at a high level as the fulcrum, the front seven has been solid, particularly against Tampa Bay.

The Patriots have forced a turnover in 15 consecutive games, and plays like that; particularly when New England is able to come out top of the giveaway/takeaway battle, certainly go a long way toward victories.

Special teams has gotten stingy when it comes to allowing return yards, but on the other side has been middle-of-the-road on its own kick returns.

Of New England’s five wins, two have come against teams who currently have a winning record — the Ravens and Falcons — and in total, the teams they’ve beat have a record of 10-22. In total, their seven opponents thus far are a combined 20-25.

But as Belichick would note, the Pats can only play the teams on their schedule, and they aren’t the only club who has taken advantage of the dregs of the league. While the Broncos have compiled their 6-0 mark against teams with a 20-20 combined record and the Saints against teams that are 19-20, Indianapolis is perfect against clubs who have only mustered 11 wins between them, and the 6-1 Vikings have gained victories over teams who have failed to win 26 of 38 games.

There’s a long way to go this season, but with seven games marked off the Patriots’ schedule, it’s safe to state that it will take hard-nosed, consistent play from all phases of the team for New England to fulfill its postseason aspirations.

smanza@projo.com