Christian Gonzalez picked unhealthy time for his worst sport as a Patriot

“When your finest gamers don’t play good, you don’t have a lot of an opportunity on this league,” Mike Vrabel declared after a sport the place Gonzalez was torched and Drake Maye threw three interceptions. “We anticipate much more, he expects much more, we’d like extra from him and everyone else”​

“It wasn’t simply [Gonzalez]. Once more we’ve bought to have the ability to coach and be ready and we’ve to execute, so, identical to it’s each single week once we don’t win, it’s all of us, and it begins with me.”

Gonzalez wasn’t the lone perpetrator on an evening the place a number of miscommunications marred New England’s secondary.

However the 24-year-old defensive again certain didn’t assist — particularly when matched up towards both Watson or Golden.

Whereas many opposing offensive models have typically shuddered on the considered concentrating on receivers blanketed by Gonzalez, Love and the Packers have been rewarded each time they threw in No. 0’s course.

In line with Subsequent Gen Stats, Gonzalez allowed seven catches for 105 yards to Golden on Sunday, and in addition surrendered three catches and 82 yards when matched up towards Watson.

This marks the primary time since at the very least 2018 {that a} defensive participant has allowed greater than 80 receiving yards to 2 completely different gamers in the identical sport.

“Type of like once I come up right here each week — clearly, it’s irritating,” Gonzalez mentioned postgame. “I wish to be who I’m for the crew and everyone [who] is aware of what I’m. However I imply, it’s soccer. I’m not going to have the ability to — I’m [going to] have a foul sport. … So the identical as [when] I come up right here, week in and week out, and if it’s an excellent sport, I say, ‘Alright, we transfer on.’”

“It’s identical to that. I’ve mentioned that a number of occasions. You could have an excellent play? Wash it. Dangerous play? Wash it. Good sport? Wash it. Dangerous sport? Wash it. So there are issues I tousled on, and I’ll be again to it subsequent week.”

Gonzalez doesn’t appear to be fretting over Sunday’s end result: a sport wherein he allowed 187 yards in protection, the third-most allowed by a participant this season (per Subsequent Gen Stats).

For what it’s price, Gonzalez has allowed solely 196 complete yards in protection over his first six video games this season.

​However since getting back from a shoulder damage that dominated him out for 2 video games, Gonzalez has been a lot quieter after beginning the 12 months with lockdown performances in man-to-man matchups towards Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Pittsburgh’s DK Metcalf.

Getting into Sunday’s sport, Gonzalez had recorded zero go breakups over his earlier three video games — getting knocked three catches allowed to a weak Miami wideout grouping in Week 8.

And clearly, issues bottomed out towards the likes of Golden and Watson on Sunday in Foxborough. ​

“I imply, they did an excellent job. He got here out and ran good routes,” Gonzalez mentioned of Golden. “Ran the routes they’d within the sport plan, and Jordan Love was in a position to get him the ball.

“I simply gotta be capable to end and make these performs. I’m proper there, I simply gotta make these performs. I imply, it’s not the tip of the world. I had a foul sport. I’m not shaken up by it, I’m not too frightened about it. I’ll transfer on and be prepared for subsequent week.”

Conor Ryan is a workers author overlaying the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Purple Sox for Boston.com, a task he has held since 2023.