In Sunday night’s 24-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium, New England Patriots rookie … [+]
What Christian Gonzalez has shown in September was what the New England Patriots were searching for in April.
A week removed recording his first NFL sack on a cornerback blitz against Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, the No. 17 overall pick recorded his first NFL interception against Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. It arrived deep down the left sideline Sunday at Gillette Stadium with 10:04 remaining in the fourth quarter.
And it arrived while adjusting and elevating to shadow perennial All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
No points would come of the high-pointed turnover in a 17-10 deficit that became a 24-17 defeat. But on a night also spent lined up opposite the league’s 2022 leader in yards per reception, Jaylen Waddle, speed was needed to be matched with speed.
“It was just whatever we had to do on our side of the ball to try to take away what the Dolphins were trying to do,” Gonzalez told reporters postgame as the Patriots fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2001.
Three safeties frequently aligned deep in the big nickel. That was needed a week after the Dolphins amassed 466 yards through the air. But with Jack Jones on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, Jonathan Jones inactive due to an ankle injury and Marcus Jones downgraded to out due to a shoulder injury, the corner depth chart was shorthanded.
It was in the hands of a 6-foot-2, 205-pound rookie with a 40-yard dash time of 4.38 seconds and the smooth coverage skills to stay in control of it.
Gonzalez stayed in for all 63 of New England’s defensive snaps by game’s end while Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade stepped in alongside him. He was charted by Pro Football Focus for allowing three catches on five targets for a total of 32 yards over that span.
His defensive grade currently ranks atop the roster. That is the case after the transfer from Colorado to Oregon started the season by playing all 66 snaps versus another pair of 1,000-yard wideouts in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
“Gonzo learns every day,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said during his appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” Monday morning. “Smart kid, really pays attention, tries to do what you ask him to do. That was really an outstanding interception that he had. That was sort of a little bit similar to the play that came up in Miami last year, where Tyreek came up and kind of took the ball away from us. The play was tipped, it was a little bit of a different play, but it was the same idea. And then this was one where Gonzo took the ball away from Hill, so it was a really good play. Not only a breakup, but made a good catch and hauled it in.
“But there were other coverage plays that he had. Obviously he’s gone up against some up the best receivers in the league the last two weeks. Those experiences will pay off for him down the road.”
To go with the initial sack and initial pick, Gonzalez has recorded 13 tackles through a set of Sundays. The former first-team All-Pac 12 selection previously recorded a fourth-down pass breakup in the opener versus the reigning NFC champions.
His fully guaranteed four-year, $15.102 million rookie contract includes a signing bonus of $7.983 million as well as a fifth-year option.
But more tests are in the near future. The New York Jets host next Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at MetLife Stadium.
