There weren't many positives from the New England Patriots' 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins last week, but Christian Gonzalez gave another strong performance.
The second-year cornerback was mostly matched up against Tyreek Hill, and he did a very good job covering the speedy wide receiver. Gonzalez tallied six tackles, two pass breakups and an interception -- his first of the season -- against the Dolphins.
Christian Gonzalez picks off Huntley!
— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
📺: #MIAvsNE on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/QpjbbHrc5y
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The interception gave the Patriots great field position, and the offense scored its only touchdown of the game on the ensuing possession.
The Patriots will need another strong performance from Gonzalez on Sunday if they're going to have any chance at upsetting the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. The Texans have a prolific passing attack led by C.J. Stroud, who already ranks among the league's top 10 quarterbacks in just his second season.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has been pretty impressed by what he's seen of Gonzalez early in the young cornerback's career.
"He's a tall, athletic corner. He has the athletic ability and all the traits are off the charts with him -- the size and length," Ryans told reporters in a press conference Wednesday.
New England Patriots
"Just seeing his instincts showing up, his ability to make plays on the football, he's leading a lot of one-on-one matchups. He's able to make plays in those situations. He's doing a really good job."
#Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on #Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/4nFys7zmY7
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 9, 2024
Even though wide receiver Nico Collins was placed on injured reserve by the Texans on Wednesday, they still have other threats in the passing attack, most notably wideouts Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. Diggs has been an elite wide receiver for many years and has 31 receptions for 316 yards with two touchdowns in his first five games as a Texans player.
Diggs dominated Patriots cornerbacks throughout the last four seasons as a member of the Buffalo Bills. However, this weekend's game will be his first ever matchup against Gonzalez.
If Gonzalez can take Diggs out of the game, that would be a huge help for the Patriots defense and potentially give the pass rush a little more time to get to Stroud.