Pats’ ‘D’ a tale of 2 halves

There was plenty to like about the Patriots' defensive performance in the first 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, 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.

BROWN, BIG BEN SWEAR THEY’RE IN SYNC

Antonio Brown insists he's still in sync with Ben Roethlisberger even though their numbers together are down.

Roethlisberger and Brown are one of the most prolific quarterback-wide receiver tandems in NFL history, but the duo has struggled to find a rhythm through four games as Pittsburgh has stumbled to a 1-2-1 start.

They'll seek consistency entering the Steelers' home game Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

“It's like Wi-Fi,” Brown said Friday. “Sometimes the connection is poor. Sometimes the connection is great. But it's always connected.”

Brown eclipsed 1,500 yards receiving three of the last four years and is the only player in NFL history to have five straight seasons with at least 100 receptions. Last season, the four-time All-Pro averaged 15.2 yards per catch on 101 receptions and he led the league with 1,533 yards, but his statistics are down this year.

Brown's 53 targets are second-most in the league, but he has just 29 receptions for 272 yards receiving and a 9.4yard per catch average, well below his 13.4-yard career mark.

BURFICT STORM RETURNS

Linebacker Vontaze Burfict is back on the Cincinnati Bengals' active roster after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancer policy.

He's glad to be back, even doing some work with special teams. He watched his teammates pull out a 37-36 win at Atlanta last Sunday on Andy Dalton's touchdown pass to A.J. Green with 7 seconds left in regulation.

“Of course, I missed it,” Burfict said, “My daughter came downstairs and said, ‘Daddy, we won.' ”