New England Patriots top cornerback Christian Gonzalez will miss his third consecutive game on Sunday when the team hosts Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium. Entering his third season, Gonzalez has yet to play this season due to a lingering hamstring injury he suffered at the beginning of training camp.
Gonzalez, 23, practiced for the first time this week. However, he didn’t share many details with reporters when questioned about his injury.
“It’s been very challenging to be out for so long. But I’m focused on the here and now,” Gonzalez said via Boston.com. “I’m not really too worried about the injury. I’m not going to answer any questions on that, we’re just focused on the Steelers.”
The Patriots had hoped to get Gonzalez back for Week 4, and Head Coach Mike Vrabel hinted the corner would be a game-time decision on Sunday.
“We listed him as limited, which means he did some work, and we’ll still evaluate where he’s at closer to the game,” Vrabel told the media in his weekly Friday press conference.
Through the first two games of the season, the secondary has been inconsistent, allowing over 660 passing yards. Obviously, the former Pro Bowler’s absence has been very noticeable at the start of the season.
In his absence, Alex Austin and Marcus Jones have tried to fill the void alongside veteran Carlton Davis. Austin has struggled this season, allowing nine receptions on 12 targets for 153 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Davis has held his own on the outside, but he now faces off with D.K. Metcalf, which could present its own challenges.
Seeing that he made progress in practice this week, could the Patriots ramp up his workload leading into the Week 4 matchup against the Carolina Panthers at home? Gonzalez’s absence has affected the secondary, with free-agent signing Carlton Davis III being the top corner on the team and Alex Austin having had to play corner along with Marcus Jones. If the team can contain new Steeler WR D.K. Metcalf and limit his yardage total tomorrow, this team could be in good shape heading into Week 4.
Defensive end Keion White (illness) and fullback Jack Westover (hamstring) have also been listed on the injury report as questionable for Sunday’s game. The New England Patriots (1-1) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
My name is Kenneth Matias and I am an aspiring sports journalist that has great sports knowledge and follow the New England Patriots and the NFL landscape very closely.
