Tag: Christian Gonzalez

Report: Patriots rookie CB Christian Gonzalez likely done for season with shoulder injury

Here’s the real reason why the Patriots traded for J.C. Jackson

The New England Patriots’ rising star rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez is reportedly likely to miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Per Rapoport, Gonzalez suffered a torn labrum from the dislocated shoulder injury he had in the Week 4 game against the Dallas Cowboys. He is expected to undergo surgery for the injury soon, which will keep him sidelined for the rest of 2023.

This news sheds even more light on the reasoning behind the Patriots’ shocking trade with the Los Angeles Chargers to bring back former All-Pro corner J.C. Jackson on Wednesday.

It’s a devastating end to a spectacular start from Gonzalez, who won honors for Defensive Rookie of the Month in September. He looked like a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate and a lockdown corner for the Patriots.

Now, he’ll undergo an arduous rehab process, while the injury-ridden Patriots do everything they can to fill the massive hole his absence leaves in the defensive backfield.

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Patriots’ CB Christian Gonzalez expected to miss rest of season with torn labrum

Oregon’s rookie sensation Christian Gonzalez will miss the rest of the 2023 season with a torn labrum, dislocated shoulder, per reports.

One of the major fears about the shoulder injury suffered by New England Patriots cornerback and former Oregon Duck Christian Gonzalez has apparently turned out to be true.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport, Gonzalez is expected to miss the rest of his rookie year with a torn labrum and dislocated shoulder he suffered in the Week 4 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Per Rapaport, Gonzalez is expected to undergo surgery to repair his shoulder soon.

In the light of the news, the Patriots traded a couple of late-round picks to land Los Angeles Chargers CB J.C. Jackson, hoping to replace Gonzalez in the secondary. The loss of the former Duck is a major blow, since Gonzalez was expected to be a leading candidate for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2023.

After undergoing surgery, Gonzalez is expected to make a full recovery and come back strong for the Patriots in 2024.

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Cowboys QB Dak Prescott surprised Patriots allowed this play to happen

Dak Prescott was surprised by this play sequence from the Patriots after the Christian Gonzalez injury.

The New England Patriots performed in a way that surprised even their opponents on Sunday. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in particular was surprised by one play during his team’s 38-3 win over New England.

The Patriots played man coverage on CeeDee Lamb, as Myles Bryant matched up against the wide receiver. This was one play after Christian Gonzalez left the field with a shoulder injury. Prescott thought that the Patriots would play a more conservative coverage. Instead, Bryant took the challenge head-on.

Lamb finished with four catches for 36 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Prescott had his opinions on the play, in what was a big day for the Cowboys. The quarterback broke down his thoughts on the sequence.

“We went into the timeout break because New England’s Gonzalez got hurt,” Prescott said, per a released transcript. “Coming out of that, we had a great play design.

“We expected them to go into a shell look or play it soft. I was surprised, to say the least, when they went man-to-man and allowed CeeDee to be 1-on-1.”

It was a difficult day for the entire defense, as New England allowed 377 total yards of offense. They will look to bounce back against the New Orleans Saints with the defensive unit a little banged up, following injuries to both Gonzalez and Matthew Judon.

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Pair of Pro Ducks get bitten by injury bug in Week 4 of NFL action

Both Justin Herbert and Christian Gonzalez suffered injuries in Week 4 of NFL action.

There are a lot of former Oregon Ducks playing in the NFL this year, but two have arguably been getting most of the attention from Duck fans so far this year, for understandable reasons.

Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert and New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez have been frequent topics of conversation over the past several months for Oregon fans. Unfortunately, this past weekend, both suffered injuries in their respective games.

In a over the Las Vegas Raiders, Herbert reportedly fractured a finger on his non-throwing hand and lacerated his fingernail. According to multiple reports, Herbert is not expected to miss any time going forward, with the Chargers enjoying a bye in Week 5.

The outlook for Gonzalez is not as optimistic. The Patriots CB suffered a shoulder injury against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Going forward, there is not a timetable for his return, though it is not expected to be in the near future.

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Report: Christian Gonzalez expected to miss time with shoulder injury

More bad news for the Patriots’ defense

Things can change at the drop of a dime in the NFL.

Nearly a week ago, New England Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez was bagging his first ever Rookie Defensive Player of the Month award. Now, he’s sidelined with a shoulder injury that could keep him out of action for some time.

The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported on Monday that Gonzalez is expected to miss some time after dislocating his shoulder in Sunday’s 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. It’s a devastating turn of events for a Patriots team that has been ravaged with injuries on the backend of the defense.

Both Marcus Jones and Jack Jones are on injured reserve, while Jonathan Jones has missed the last three games with an ankle injury.

The Patriots lost star linebacker Matthew Judon in the game against the Cowboys as well. Week 4 was brutal for New England both mentally and physically.

However, they won’t have any time to sulk in despair with the New Orleans Saints coming to town for a visit in Week 5. They’ll have to figure out the best way forward without two of their most talented defensive players.

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3 big takeaways from Patriots’ 38-3 demolition in Dallas

Here are 3 big takeaways from the Patriots’ 38-3 loss to the Cowboys

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

A week after a hard-fought victory – their first of the season – against the New York Jets, the New England Patriots took on the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas on Sunday.

All who were looking for a close match with two high-powered offenses going toe-to-toe were sorely disappointed, as the Patriots’ offense seemed to regress back to 1992 – the year before the team drafted future franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe No. 1 overall.

And, overall, nothing about the 38-3 loss gave any positive emotions to any of New England’s fans out there.

Here are three big takeaways from the matchup.

Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez questionable to return with shoulder injury

Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez is questionable to return vs. Cowboys.

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez exited the field in Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury. The team announced his return is questionable.

Gonzalez was in coverage and came down awkwardly on his arm. He initially tried to stand back up and walk off the injury, but he then knelt to the ground in pain, before being taken off to the medical tent and then the locker room.

The Patriots were already missing Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones and Jack Jones at cornerback. They’ll have to get creative with Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade now being their top options at the position.

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Matthew Judon sees similarity with rookie Christian Gonzalez and All-Pro CB

Matthew Judon had high praise for Christian Gonzalez.

New England Patriots rookie Christian Gonzalez is getting praise from all around the league. Linebacker Matthew Judon even went as far as comparing him to Miami Dolphins’ three-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Gonzalez has been tested in the first few weeks of his NFL career. He has had to guard some of the top wide receivers in the league, such as Tyreek Hill, Garrett Wilson and A.J Brown. His efforts have not gone unrecognized, as he was able to win the Defensive Rookie of the Month award for September.

He will be tested once again on Sunday, as he will presumably match up with Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

“The skill and the poise that he plays with at cornerback, for a young player, is kind of unseen,” Judon said, via NESN’s Zack Cox. “You see it in the greats. You saw it when Jalen Ramsey came out (in 2016). Whoever he was in front of, he just stayed in front of, and he covered and he matched. (Gonzalez) has a lot of potential. He has a lot of potential and a lot of skill.”

Gonzalez has barely scratched the surface in his NFL run. So it’s still way too early to make a determination on how his career will end up. Nevertheless, he is hitting the ground running and starting off strong.

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Injury-riddled Patriots might have to get creative at cornerback

With Jonathan Jones ruled out and Shaun Wade listed as questionable, the Patriots might have to get creative at cornerback on Sunday.

Injuries at cornerback have the New England Patriots on the brink of desperation in the defensive backfield, ahead of a tough matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Marcus Jones and Jack Jones are both on injured reserve. Jonathan Jones was ruled out for the road trip on Saturday. Shaun Wade is expected to make the trip, but he’s listed as questionable to play with a shoulder injury.

That leaves the Patriots with rookie Christian Gonzalez and Myles Bryant as their primary healthy options.

So far, the team has been able to disguise the injuries with Gonzalez’s elite play, along with Bryant making legitimate strides of improvement. But it’s only a matter of time before the injuries catch up to the unit, and the wheels could potentially fall off without a great backup plan in Week 4.

The Patriots could call up Azizi Hearns or Breon Borders from their practice squad, or they could get even more creative and move converted safety Jalen Mills back to cornerback for the game.

Given the opponent and incredible depth they already have at safety, it might be smarter for the Patriots to do the latter. Keep in mind, this is all assuming Wade isn’t healthy enough to play.

The Patriots also have rookie Ameer Speed on the roster, but he’s mostly been involved with special teams. It could prove risky to match him up defensively against an elite football team with a plethora of receiving talent.

Even with all of the injuries, the defense hasn’t broken three weeks into the season. There’s reason to believe they can weather the storm just a little bit longer.

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8 burning questions for Patriots ahead of Week 4 clash with Cowboys

Eight burning questions for the Patriots heading into Week 4

The New England Patriots have a legitimate opportunity to flip expectations upside down in Sunday’s road clash with the Dallas Cowboys.

It would be quite the story if the Patriots went into AT&T Stadium and knocked off a Cowboys team that is widely considered a Super Bowl contender. They’d suddenly be sitting at 2-2 with a fighting chance in the AFC East division.

After dropping back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins, the Patriots finally got in the win column in their first road game of the season against the New York Jets. Meanwhile, the Cowboys were somehow upstaged by quarterback Joshua Dobbs and the Arizona Cardinals.

Considering the elite defenses on both sides, this game has the potential to feel like a heavyweight slugfest. Let’s delve into the eight burning questions facing the Patriots ahead of the Week 4 matchup.