The Future of Patriots’ Defense Has Arrived and Is Locking Down NFL’s Top Receivers
Christian Gonzalez Played Every Snap and Held Ja’Marr Chase to Just 14 Yards
Patriots Defensive Gem
After Week 1 of NFL games, it looks like the New England Patriots could have a lockdown corner in Christian Gonzalez. All Gonzalez did was hold Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase to three catches for 14 yards when targeted, which is not exactly superstar numbers.
Not only did Gonzalez nearly shut down Chase when the corner was defending the wideout, but the Patriots upset the Bengals. Gonzalez admitted that the Pats’ plan involved the corner shadowing Chase throughout the game.
#Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez’s NFL matchups:
J. Chase: 20 Routes, 3 Rec, 15 Yards
G. Wilson: 23 Routes, 3 Rec, 18 Yards
T. Hill: 17 Routes, 0 Rec, 0 Yards, INT
J. Waddle: 4 Routes, 1 Rec, 15 Yards
D. Smith: 11 Routes, 2 Rec, 22 Yards, PBU
A. Brown: 19 Routes, 4 Rec, 47 Yards pic.twitter.com/gPunsyRS55— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) September 9, 2024
“I feel that we executed what we wanted to do,” Gonzalez said, per the Boston Herald. “There were some plays we left out there. Obviously, there’s never a perfect game — we’ll get to the film and watch it. Personally, I feel like I did good. It was a fun matchup — he’s one of the best receivers in the league. So, it was fun.”
“… That’s what you want being a corner — that’s the dream,” Gonzalez said of facing top wide receivers. “So being able to do that is fun.”
Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez covered Ja’Marr Chase on 20 of his 28 routes yesterday.
Chase was limited to 3 catches for 14 yards on those plays.
Really strong return for what looks like a special young corner. pic.twitter.com/HuTLpPAnTZ
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 9, 2024
How Many Snaps Did Christian Gonzalez Play?
Even more impressive is that Christian Gonzalez played 100% of the defensive snaps, per Football Guys. Gonzalez was not just taking plays off to rest up to face Chase.
The corner played every single defensive snap, which is based on news for the Pats’ remaining opponents on their NFL schedule. Christian Gonzalez’s stats do not exactly have a wow factor notching two tackles against the Bengals. Yet, the corner’s impact was felt in more than just the box score.
Ja’Marr Chase trying to get open vs Christian Gonzalez pic.twitter.com/7XsRr7SeZ8
— GhettoGronk (@TheGhettoGronk) September 9, 2024
PFF Not a Fan of Gonzalez’s Play
If you’ve read any of the latest NFL news, you know that not everyone was a fan of Gonzalez’s performance. Despite locking down Chase, Gonzalez earned just a 55.3 grade (out of 100) from Pro Football Focus.
Maybe the PFF graders were just struggling in Week 1. Gonzalez earned an 80.8 grade from Pro Football Focus for the 2023 season.
Christian Gonzalez vs Ja’Marr Chase:
3 catches
14 yardsAnother locked up elite WR. pic.twitter.com/VCWK86CHAN
— Boston Cream 🍩 (@itsbostoncream) September 8, 2024
There’s always plenty of chatter in NFL rumors about a player’s performance. Regardless, Gonzalez is the corner fans are going to want on their team. The defender is living up to being the No. 17 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
