The season-opening numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt because they’ve come against teams helmed by rookie quarterbacks. But in both games, the defense has more than done its part, providing quality stops, plenty of turnovers and getting off the field regularly on third down. As a result, the early returns – the Patriots have yielded an average of 15.5 points in two games while holding the opposition to three offensive touchdowns in 29 defensive series – could provide some hope that a defensive renaissance is on the horizon for New England.