There was plenty to like about the Patriots' defensive performance in the fi

rst half of their 38-24 victory over the Colts on Thursday night.The second half brought just as much to be concerned about.New England's gaps on the defensive side of the ball were both noticeable and troubling as the Patriots opened 1-2. The lack of a sustained pass rush combined with missed assignments in the secondary helped opponents average 26 points in the three games.The defense rebounded to give up just seven points in a 38-7 win over Miami Reggie Ragland Jersey , in which it forced a turnover and held the Dolphins to just 172 total yards.The Patriots were off to a similar start against the Colts on Thursday night, holding them to just three points in the first half and intercepting quarterback Andrew Luck.But the bad habits that befell the defense during the losing streak came back in the final 30 minutes as Indianapolis got within seven points following a pair of touchdown passes from Luck. Indianapolis finished the game with 439 total yards, the third team this season to eclipse 400 yards against New England.Linebacker coach Brian Flores said it is proof there's still room for improvement with a visit from Kansas City and quarterback Patrick Mahomes up next. Mahomes is the hottest quarterback in the NFL, throwing for 14 touchdowns and no interceptions in the unbeaten Chiefs' first four games."We want to be a tough, aggressive, fast team. There's always room for improvement in those areas," said Flores, who is handling play calling duties for the Patriots this season. "I think it's something we talk about every day. It's something we harp on. We want the guys to play fast. We want them to play free. We want them to play aggressive."I think we've gotten that at a more consistent level Jarvis Jenkins Jersey , but I think we're always looking for more."Injuries have been an issue for the defense this season, though it is getting close to full strength.Defensive end Trey Flowers and safety Patrick Chung both sat out Week 3 with concussions before returning against the Dolphins. Both combined on a sack against Indianapolis. Chung finished with 11 combined tackles and also had an interception.He said the next step for this group is finding consistency."That is huge; inconsistency is the worst thing you can have in football. We need to continue to be consistent, continue to play hard and execute," Chung said.That includes forcing turnovers. The defense had a season-high three against Indianapolis."Our job is to get the offense the ball; we were able to do that today and had a couple of big plays," Chung said. "Hopefully we are able to keep doing that."The turnovers were also a welcomed sign to coach Bill Belichick."I think defensively you take a lot of pride in those," he said. "That's really taking the ball away from the offense as opposed to them just giving it to you. We had a couple of plays like that. We had a couple of other opportunities that we didn't capitalize on, but it's always good when you take the ball away from the offense." This guy is good."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Kansas City Chiefs NewsOpen ThreadsFull ArchiveLibrary Community GuidelinesContact InformationOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub FL DraftChiefs 2019 draftThe AP prospect of the week is Mississippi State safety Johnathan AbramNew,9commentsThis guy is good.CDTShareTweetShareShareThe AP prospect of the week is Mississippi State safety Johnathan AbramDouglas DeFelice-USA TODAY SportsThe calendar is about to turn to April. The month of Draftmas is about to start. We’ll be giving you a prospect every day of April leading up to the NFL Draft with 25 Days of Draftmas. You’ll get daily prospect profiles like this one starting on April 1st. Johnathan Abram Daniel Sorensen Jersey , safety5’11 3/8” | 205 lbs | Mississippi State*Never miss a video from Arrowhead Pride by subscribing to our YouTube channel here*Projected draft range: Day twoI would take him in the: 2nd or 3rd roundOne sentence bio: First-team All-SEC in 2018 and Senior Bowl invite that wasn’t able to participate due to a shoulder injury.One sentence scouting report: Abram is a tone-setter for a defense that plays with excellent energy and physicality and is one of the hardest hitters in the class.One play:How he fits in KC: Abram is an energy giver, not an energy taker. He will immediately become a fan favorite if he comes to the Chiefs. He plays with his hair on fire at all times, which can be a blessing and a curse. He was ejected from multiple games for targeting AND his team’s spring game. However, when’s he’s controlled, he shows plenty of range and ability to close on plays. His tackling improved from 2017 to 2018, which helped his draft stock. Abram profiles more as a box safety but turned some heads with his 4.45 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He is a more fluid athlete than given credit for but he wouldn’t be able to hold up as a single player and has his most value near the line of scrimmage. That could create some issues due to Tyrann Mathieu’s value in that same area. However, if Steve Spagnuolo could get creative with these two, he’d get a fiery Harrison Butker Jersey , intimidating duo at the safety position. KC Draft GuideWe have a more detailed write-up on Abram and more in the first ever edition of the KC Draft Guide, which releases on April 8. Through the end of March, promo code ‘madness’ will get you the guide for 33 percent off!We’ll have over 200 prospect write-ups, specifically about how prospects fit the Chiefs. There will be big boards, more than 300 grades on players, mock drafts, positional rankings and features all specific to the Chiefs. You can pre-order the guide for only $6.69 by clicking here or entering ‘madness’ in the promotional code field below!Loading...