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Chiefs Second Half Defense Turning It On

CLEVELAND - SEPTEMBER 19:  Head Coach Todd Haley of the Kansas City Chiefs yells to his players against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 19 2010 in Cleveland Ohio.  (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Head Coach Todd Haley of the Kansas City Chiefs yells to his players against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 19 2010 in Cleveland Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley has preached conditioning from the day he arrived in Kansas City. That's one of his big things and it's starting to show some of its advantages.

The Chiefs last year gave up a whopping 38 second half points in the first two games of the season. The 2010 Chiefs defense has given up just seven second half points through the same time period. That's a pretty big difference.

This defense is a relatively new phenomenon in Kansas City so Sunday against the Cleveland Browns was just the second second-half shutout in the Todd Haley era.

They also gave up 73 rushing yards, the lowest total in the last year.

Does this mean the Chiefs are better conditioned? No, not necessarily. But if does appear that they improve statistically in the second half and later in the game. That's not a bad habit to have.

The Chiefs defense also continued scoring. Brandon Flowers' second career interception made it three defensive touchdowns over the last three games (dating back to week 17 of the 2009 season).

There are a lot of interesting story lines forming with the Chiefs defense like Derrick Johnson becoming one of the better players on the team, Brandon Flowers becoming one of the better corners in the league and Tamba Hali's quiet but productive play.

This defense is becoming fun to watch.

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