FOXBORO — New England Patriots observers generally fall into one of two camps when it comes to a discussion of the team’s winless preseason: Either “the sky is falling” pessimism or “they’ll flip the switch and be fine” optimism.

The truth as it stands now might be somewhere in the middle, maybe leaning a bit toward the they’ll-be-fine way of thinking, particularly where the defense is concerned.

At least that’s the sense one gets when talking to members of the defensive unit.

They may not have looked all that impressive at times — particularly as each opponent marched down the field for a touchdown during their opening possession, generally against the Pats’ starters — but don’t despair.

“Preseason, we use that to get better,” safety James Sanders said. “We went out there and we worked hard each and every week. Sometimes the games might not [appear to] go as well, but you went out there and try to execute different things each and every week, and now it’s time to put it all together.”

In terms of numbers, the Patriots’ problems were most prevalent on third down, where they allowed teams to convert 26 of 56 chances (46.4 percent) and quarterbacks to complete two-thirds of their pass attempts. Those numbers are from all games, and some of the players responsible for those statistics are no longer on the roster.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the players don’t take ownership of them. Ty Warren said the changes continue to be made.

“There were some mistakes and things that could have been a lot better in the preseason, starting with me and right on down the line, but at the same time I think we’re making the necessary changes and putting in the necessary work in order to get better,” he said. “That’s the approach we’ve been taking.”

Warren said the team’s practices this week have been positive. It helps, too, to have key players back on the field. Sanders, Rodney Harrison, Brandon Meriweather, Jarvis Green and Mike Wright all missed time because of injuries or got a late start from beginning training camp on the physically unable to perform list.

“A lot of confidence has been built from the fact that we have a lot of guys out there that weren’t out there in the preseason. I’m not justifying anything, but you get the whole team you’re going to war with out there at one time and putting in the work needed (together).”

They’ve made some progress, but don’t think the Patriots are a finished product. They know they aren’t, and rest assured that head coach Bill Belichick has let them know it. There were moments — such as during the Giants’ opening 80-yard touchdown drive last week that culminated in a 26-yard catch-and-run for the score by reclamation project QB David Carr to reserve tight end Darcy Johnson — that must have been ugly from Belichick’s perspective.

That play was certainly part of the learning experience earlier this week, as the team took a couple of days to practice their own fundamentals before really switching focus to Kansas City on Wednesday.

“I don’t think anybody is where they want to be the first week,” Adalius Thomas said. “I think you want to go out there and be able to be very competitive and perform well, and you do that by practicing hard every day and working on the things you need to, and I think we’ve done that. I’ve done that, as far as coming in here and getting better, and I think that’s what each player has tried to do is worry about themselves and try to get better individually, and that makes the team better.”

A good week of practice is almost always a good sign for the Patriots.

It’s needed, too, since the games do count now and success comes down to a simple formula.

“Speculation from media and predictions from broadcasters on who’s going to be the team to beat — none of that really matters when it comes to Sunday,” Thomas said. “On Sunday, it depends on who is prepared better to go out there and who makes the most plays. Nothing else matters.

“Nothing that you did last year matters; nothing that you did the week before. You have to go out there and prove yourself every Sunday.”

smanza@projo.com