A common thought in the is that a team is what its record says it is. While that's true in a literal sense, a team's record early in the season isn't always indicative of where a team stands in the playoff race.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles, for example, both sit at 1-2-1. Cincinnati is in the AFC North basement and is a long shot to make the playoffs. Philadelphia is in first place in the NFC East and has a good chance of winning the division and hosting a playoff game.
One must differentiate between one-month records and how teams actually stack up.