Tag: Christian Gonzalez

Patriots stock watch: Who’s up, who’s down heading into Week 3?

Who’s stock is up and who’s stock is down for the Patriots?

The New England Patriots have a conundrum on their hands. They are an improved football team from last season, but they’re still sitting at 0-2 on the year ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the New York Jets.

A big reason for those struggles has been the hellacious regular season schedule. The Patriots faced two potential Super Bowl contenders right out of the gates in the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins.

They still lack explosive offensive talent, but other players have stepped up on both sides of the ball to give them a chance to compete and stay in games. Today, we’re taking a look at several players and checking in on their stock with the team heading into the Week 3 matchup with the Jets.

Who’s stock is up and who’s stock is down for the Patriots?

All-Pro WR Tyreek Hill admitted Patriots rookie CB Christian Gonzalez is ‘real good’

Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez received high praise from one of the best receivers in the game.

Game recognizes game.

That’s the feeling after hearing Miami Dolphins All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill praise New England Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez after going one-on-one with him in Week 2.

There’s no stopping Hill on the field completely. He’s a freak of nature that will always find ways to get open and make plays. But Gonzalez did limit him to some degree and force Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to look to other receivers in some instances.

One of the highlights of the game was Gonzalez running underneath a route to high-point an interception on a throw aimed at Hill that came up a bit short.

“I was able to go against their rookie. He’s real good,” Hill said on an episode of the “It Needed To Be Said” podcast, via the Vocal Podcast Network. “Very lengthy corner, had some real good technique and speed about him. So they’ve got some real good pieces over there in New England, man. So shout out to New England.”

Hill won’t have to wait long to see Gonzalez again with the Patriots and Dolphins slated for a Week 8 meeting in Miami. Gonzalez is only getting started, and it’s crazy to think he could elicit such praise from one of the best receivers in the NFL after only his second game.

The next version of Gonzalez that Hill sees could be significantly better than the one from Week 2.

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Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 2, per PFF grades

Who cracked the top-10 on defense for the Patriots in Week 2?

For a second straight week, most of the highlights for the New England Patriots came on the defensive side of the ball in their Week 2 matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

They were presented with the seemingly impossible task of covering the Dolphins’ otherworldly receiving tandem of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and they overachieved in not allowing the game to be broken open.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for their effort in stopping the run game after seeing them get pounded into the ground by Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez did a tremendous job matched up on the outside against Hill, who had five receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown, after going off last week for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The first-round draft pick even undercut Hill on one play and leaped high into the air to snag the first interception of his NFL career.

Let’s take a look at Gonzalez and the other nine defensive players that received the highest Pro Football Focus grades for the Patriots in Week 2.

3 standout stars from Patriots’ Week 2 loss to Dolphins

Who were the standout stars for the Patriots in Week 2?

The New England Patriots had yet another rough loss, where they almost won, almost made plays and almost looked good.

It’s never easy for your favorite team to lose, but over the last few seasons, we have seen more almost games from the Patriots. It keeps us hanging on the seat for dear life, just to watch them fall short in the end.

With that said, it wasn’t all bad from the Patriots in Week 2. Let’s take a look at the three standout stars for the team in their second straight loss in the season.

PFF’s 20 highest-graded CBs: Patriots rookie Christian Gonzalez cracks top-three

Forget about a coming-out party. Patriots rookie CB Christian Gonzalez has already arrived.

The rest of the NFL could soon regret leaving rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez on the draft board for the New England Patriots to select at No. 17 overall.

Gonzalez has been one of the few bright spots for a Patriots team that opened the season up 0-2, following back-to-back home losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins.

He was once again one of the top tacklers for New England in their loss to the Dolphins on Sunday night, while also deflecting a pass and jumping in front of Dolphins All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill for the first interception of his NFL career.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Gonzalez is the exceptional competition he’s faced right out of the gates. He ran into A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith with the Eagles, before matching up with Hill and Jaylen Waddle with the Dolphins.

Regardless of the matchup, he has had strong showings against both team’s receivers.

After Sunday’s slate of games, Gonzalez currently has the third-highest Pro Football Focus grade of all NFL cornerbacks with at least 50 or more total snaps so far this season.

Here’s the top-20 as it currently stands:

How former Ducks performed in Week 2 of the NFL

Christian Gonzalez is putting his elite talent on display. Check out how all of the Pro Ducks fared this weekend in the NFL.

Week 2 of the National Football League is in the books which means we should check in with our ex-Oregon Ducks who are playing professionally.

Week 2 was an excting one. We saw two games go to overtime, both of which featured former Oregon players.

Unfortuanetly, one of our favorite Ducks is struggling in Los Angleles. Justin Herbert has had a good start to his own personal season, but he hasn’t gotten the support he needs to make it into the win column. Brandon Staley is on the coaching hot seat so it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season shakes out for Herbert and the Chargers.

Below is an update on the rest of the Ducks in the NFL:

WATCH: Christian Gonzalez steals first NFL interception from Tyreek Hill

Christian Gonzalez jumped in front of Dolphins All-Pro WR Tyreek Hill for this incredible interception.

The New England Patriots were locked in a defensive battle with the Miami Dolphins for most of Sunday night.

As a result, some opportunities arose for players to make big plays, and rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez was one of them, notching his first NFL interception under his belt.

Gonzalez read a pass that was intended for Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The Oregon product showed his athleticism in the process, leaping up to record the turnover. At the time, the turnover put New England in a good position to get back into the game.

Unfortunately, the struggling Patriots offense quickly gave the ball right back to the Dolphins. But that didn’t change the fact that Gonzalez’s interception was jaw-dropping.

Although New England ended up losing to Miami, Gonzalez’s play was certainly a highlight during the game. It gave New England fans a taste of what’s to come from the No. 17 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft.

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5 big takeaways from Patriots’ 24-17 loss vs Dolphins

Another comeback, another drive that came up just short. Here are 5 big takeaways from the Patriots’ loss to Miami

Those are the ones that rip your heart out.

A week after their go-ahead drive ended on a failed fourth-down conversion against the Philadelphia Eagles, the New England Patriots decided to rinse and repeat. Down 24-17 with a minute to go against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night, the Patriots again embarked on a drive to extend the game.

And once again, a fantastic fourth down play that was initially called a first down conversion on the field was overturned by video review, giving their opponent the ball and the ability to run the clock out to end the game.

Here are 5 big takeaways from the matchup.

8 burning questions for Patriots ahead of Week 2 matchup vs Dolphins

8 burning questions facing the Patriots heading into a pivotal matchup with the Dolphins.

There are plenty of questions facing the New England Patriots ahead of their Week 2 divisional showdown with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Such is the case for a team coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week. The possibility of starting 0-2 on the season is a scary thought for a Patriots team with the hardest schedule in the NFL this year.

Can they turn it around against Miami?

The Patriots Wire staff already gave their predictions on the matchup, and unlike last week’s game, most have the Patriots winning. Let’s delve deeper into some burning questions still facing New England heading into Week 2.

How former Ducks performed on the first NFL Sunday of the year

DeForest Buckner found the endzone, while Christian Gonzalez thrived in his debut. Here’s how Oregon stars performed in Week 1 of the NFL season

The NFL season is finally upon us, and littered across the league are former Oregon Ducks. Like I’ve done for the players across the NCAA who have transferred from Oregon, I will be providing a weekly update on the notable players who moved on from Oregon to the NFL.

There are 26 former Oregon Ducks on active NFL rosters. Not all of them are included in this list because not all of them played in or impacted their team’s first game. For this reason, the names on this list will likely fluctuate from week to week.

Read below to see how each former Duck performed in Week 1 of the NFL: