Through three weeks, Christian Gonzalez keeps passing tests

For most of Sunday's New England Patriots 15-10 win over the New York Jets, rookie Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez was assigned to cover Jets receiver Garrett Wilson. Wilson is the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, put up 1,103 receiving yards last year, and is widely viewed as one of the best young receivers in the league.

Despite all of that, there's an argument to be made he's the easiest test Gonzalez has faced so far in his first NFL season.

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Now, easiest doesn't mean easy. Wilson is a highly-talented receiver. But Gonzalez has really been thrown in the deep end in his first three games as a pro.

In his NFL debut, Gonzalez was mainly tasked with covering All-Pro Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. That was followed by a matchup against Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, who is widely considered to be the best receiver in the league.

So far, Gonzalez has risen to each of those challenges. In the opener, he covered Brown on 19 routes. In that time he allowed four catches for 47 yards. Certainly not a true lockdown performance, but definitely strong for his first career game. Gonzalez also covered 2021 10th overall pick DeVonta Smith in that game, allowing two catches on 11 routes, with a pass breakup.

Against the Dolphins, Gonzalez took his game to another level. With Jonathan Jones - the Patriots' typical answer to Hill - out with an ankle injury, the majority of his coverage responsibilities fell on the rookie. Gonzalez rose to the occasion, blanking Hill on 17 coverage routes. Hill was only targeted twice when Gonzalez was in coverage - one of which resulted in his first career interception.

That performance earned Gonzalez some recognition on Hill's podcast following the game. "I was able to go against the rookie, he’s real good," Hill said. "Very lengthy corner, had some real good technique and speed about him."

Now on to Sunday. Gonzalez covered Wilson play-to-play more than any receiver to this point. In 23 routes run he allowed just three catches for 18 yards. Away from the ball, Gonzalez stuck with Wilson even through more complicated routes in key situations.

(All coverage stats above via Evan Lazar of Patriots.com.)

Through two weeks, Gonzalez was the NFL's highest-graded rookie according to PFF, and the third highest-graded cornerback in the league overall. Based on what he did on Sunday, his grade will likely go up once the numbers are updated to include Week 3.

Gonzalez's performance isn't going unnoticed inside the building either. Discussing Gonzalez on Monday morning on WEEI, Bill Belichick not only praised his approach but gave a rare and gaudy comparison.

"One of the best things about Christian, especially at that position, is he's very even-keeled. He's not overly emotional one way or another," Belichick explained. "He's got a good, calm demeanor. A lot like [Stephon] Gilmore did."

The Gilmore comp is a notable one. While Belichick is just talking about the approach Gilmore - the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year - brought to the game, the hope should be the similarities don't end there.

In the Patriots' defensive system, boundary cornerback is the most important position on the field. Belichick's defenses are always at their best when they have an elite lockdown cornerback on the outside, from Ty Law to Aqib Talib to Darrelle Revis to Gilmore.

Having drafted him 17th overall, it stands to reason the Patriots' long-term plan for Gonzalez is to have him be the next player on that list. It's still very early, but the early signs are he could be the kind of player who could handle that kind of role.

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The New England Patriots' first win of the 2023 season didn't come easy - for the team or their fans.

On a dreary Sunday afternoon in New Jersey, the Patriots grinded their way to early 10-0 and 13-3 leads before having to hold on for dear life as the New York Jets tried to stage an improbable comeback. The Jets missed that comeback by their fingertips, as the Patriots went on to win 15-10, picking up their 15th consecutive win over their division rival.

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Early on it looked like the Patriots were going to have the dominant performance many were looking to as a sign the team was back on track. On offense they scored on two of their first four drives - while getting into field goal position on a third - while defensively they held the Jets to -6 yards on their first four drives.

However, the momentum seemed to change approaching halftime. After a bungled end-of-half sequence saw the Patriots leave points on the board, the Jets came out in the second half and started moving the ball with some regularity. The emergence of a ground game opened things up for Zach Wilson, and the Jets ended up out-gaining the Patriots over the final 30 minutes, 130 yards to 117. That included a 13-play, 87-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that might have been the best of Wilson's career.

The Patriots responded to that touchdown drive with a safety, to go back up by more than a field goal. Still, the Jets found themselves in position for a late Hail Mary, with the batted ball slipping just out of the reach of wide receiver Randall Cobb in the end zone.

What can we learn, and what questions were raised from this very sudden nail-biter? Let's go back to the end of the first half and get started.

The game may not have been as close at the end had the Patriots done a better job of handling their two-minute drill at the end of the first half. After getting the ball at their own 25 with 1:21 to go and two timeouts, the Patriots moved the ball 33 yards before calling their second timeout with 21 seconds to go at the Jets' 42 yard line. On the ensuing play Mac Jones threw a deep incompletion to Demario Douglas, setting up a 3rd & 2 with 14 seconds left.

At that point, the Patriots were looking at a 59-yard field goal for rookie Chad Ryland in inclement conditions. With one timeout left they still had the ability to use the whole field, although with an incompletion risked forcing Ryland into a tough situation. But instead of trying to pick up a chunk the Patriots got very conservative.

Instead of trying to push the ball and pick up a chunk, the Patriots ran Jones on a QB sneak. That set up a technically-more-makable but still long 57-yard attempt, which looked like it may have been blocked.

Whether the kick was blocked or not, there was also an issue with the field goal operation as Joe Cardona delivered a high snap, which rookie holder Bryce Barginer was able to handle but still upset the timing of the unit. It was one of two high snaps from Cardona on the day, something Bill Belichick highlighted after the game, along with crediting Ryland's "mental toughness."

The Patriots also didn't help their case when it came to penalties - especially in the third quarter. Leading 13-3 with what felt like two chances for definitive drives, the Patriots were undone by penalties.

With 7:26 to go in the third, the Patriots got the ball back off a Jets punt at their own 20. In a spot were at least flipping the field would have been helpful the team has three self-inflicted penalties in a row instead. On first down, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster cracked Jets linebacker CJ Mosley late, from the side, and back towards the end zone, resulting in a 10-yard loss for an illegal blindside block. After short gains on first and second down, the Patriots then were called for back-to-back false starts from Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu. The Patriots ended up punting from their own 12, giving the ball back to the Jets just shy of midfield.

Let's get to some usage observations, because there were some interesting ones. That starts at wide receiver.

First and foremost, Demario Douglas was back. After seemingly getting benched last week for a first-quarter fumble, Douglas didn't play an expansive role for the Patriots against the Jets but he was involved. Most notably, the team trusted him on an end-around pitch when trying to run out the clock late in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with that five-yard rush, and a 15-yard catch on three targets.

Realistically, last week's benching aside, this wasn't a game Douglas was ever going to be super involved in. Given the conditions and the opposing defense, it made sense for the Patriots to be in heavy sets for the majority of the game, taking a third wide receiver off the field. Still, it was good to see him out there even a bit, given the Patriots' history of burying rookies after mistakes.

Speaking of players getting buried, Kendrick Bourne continues to show why so many questioned the team leaving him on the bench last year. He was the team's leading receiver in this one, with four catches for 46 yards. Three of those four catches went for first downs, including an 18-yard catch-and-run on Jets All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, JuJu Smith-Schuster's usage stood out for the wrong reasons. He didn't end up very involved in the passing game, with just three targets on the day. However, two of those came in high-impact situations, on third downs with under three minutes to go as the Patriots tried to ice the clock away. Smith-Schuster failed to separate from his defender on both plays, with the passes falling in complete. Those 'gotta have it moments' are where teams look to turn to their highest-paid receivers, but Smith-Schuster didn't deliver in this one.

This game saw the biggest workload yet for Ezekiel Elliott, and he rose to the occasion. Elliott was the Patriots' leading rusher with 80 yards on 16 carries. He also had a catch for seven yards. There were flashes of him at his peak, as he was a pain for Jets tacklers throughout the game.

For Rhamondre Stevenson it was a slower day. He was more productive than he'd been through the first two games, with 59 yards on 19 carries. However he didn't have a run longer than 10 yards, and struggled to extend runs after contact.

He also had a costly drop in a game where the backs were mostly a non-factor in the passing game. If the Patriots want to get the running back spot more involved when throwing the ball - which could help open up the offense - it may be time to give Ty Montgomery a look in the backfield in obvious passing situations.

The fullback is back in New England. Kind of.

Since Josh McDaniels' departure after the 2021 season the Patriots' offense hasn't featured a fullback. In fact, the team hasn't even have on the roster. That trend continued into this season, with Bill O'Brien's traditional spread-out offensive attack not utilizing the position.

Yet needing to jump-start their rushing attack, the Patriots came out with a handful of traditional fullback sets on Sunday. Without a true fullback on the roster, that role went to third tight end Pharaoh Brown, who signed with the team just before Week 1. At 6-foot-6, 258 pounds, Brown certainly has the ability to clear would-be tacklers out of a hole.

The Patriots ran the ball well with him in the game, so look for those formations to continue in the coming weeks. As for Brown's 58-yard catch-and-run touchdown? Certainly the Patriots would like to duplicate that as well, but that will be more of a challenge.

After filling in for Trent Brown - who returned this week - at left tackle last week, Vederian Lowe switched sides of the formation and got the start at right tackle over Calvin Anderson, who started in that spot the first two games. Lowe seemed to hold up well, so don't be surprised if he gets another shot this week. Lowe getting starting reps shows how much the coaching staff trusts him, given he only joined the team in early September after being acquired via trade during roster cuts.

As one spot seems more secure for the Patriots though, another comes into question. Left guard Cole Strange didn't finish the game due to a knee injury. It's unclear if that injury is related to the knee injury Strange suffered this summer that cost him most of training camp. Rookie Atonio Mafi filled in for him to finish the game.

With the Patriots thin in the secondary, the team trusted rookie Christian Gonzalez in coverage on Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson for most of this game. As crazy as it sounds Wilson, the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who put up 1,103 receiving yards last year, is likely the easiest test Gonzalez has faced so far coming off of games against A.J. Brown and Tyreek Hill.

Easiest doesn't mean easy though, and Wilson is one of the best young receivers in football. Yet Gonzalez held him in check throughout the game, with Wilson finished the day with a total of five catches for 48 yards. It was another impressive performance for the Patriots' first-round pick, who the team will need to continue to rely heavily on while working through cornerback injuries.

As mentioned above, the Jets found some rhythm in the second half when they started to develop a between-the-tackles running game. Part of the reason they were able to do that was the Patriots losing defensive tackles Davon Godchaux (ankle) and Daniel Ekuale (elbow) to injury on the same series.

The Patriots don't have much depth at defensive tackle, especially when it comes to early-down run stoppers. Christian Barmore is more of a pass rusher, while Lawrence Guy and Sam Roberts can play on the interior but are better on the edge. On the practice squad the team has Jeremiah Pharms as its only other interior defensive lineman.

If Godchaux and/or Ekuale are going to miss time, don't be surprised if the Patriots start working out free agent defensive tackles - especially nose tackles - this week. One player to keep in mind could be Carl Davis, who was a surprise cut for the Patriots at the end of training camp and is currently on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.

Coming into this game the Patriots and Jets ranked in the top half of the league in giveaways on offense, and takeaways on defense. The Patriots had four turnovers and two takeaways in their first four games, while the Jets had five and four, respectively. Add on the fact that Zach Wilson generally turns into a bakery with all the turnovers he gives away against the Patriots, and this figured to be a turnover-heavy game.

However, that didn't happen. There wasn't a single turnover from either team through the full 60 minutes. Both teams played conservative, but it still came as a pretty big surprise that there wasn't even one slip-up.

I said we'd get back to those referees, so let's close things out with them. They were bad. Very, very bad.

There were a handful of plays that stood out over the course of the game where Bill Vinovich's crew seemingly obviously messed up. None may have been bigger than at the end of the first half, when Jets cornerback Michael Carter II ran through Demario Douglas on a deep fade, not even feigning to turn his head and play the ball. Despite that, the flags stayed in the refs' belts, a decision that likely took points off the board for the Patriots. This was one of two instances that Carter got away with what looked like clear PI.

Given those two plays, it appeared that this crew was in a 'let them play' mindset. That, objectively, is never a bad thing. If things aren't being called that can be O.K., as long as the non-calls are consistent. That's what made it so frustrating when Myles Bryant was called for a very ticky-tack pass interference in the back of the end zone on a third down on what ended up being the Jets' lone scoring drive. It appeared Wilson was trying to throw the ball away, but a light shove from Bryant (and some acting from Randall Cobb) drew the flag.

Finally, there was the third-down QB sneak where the Jets actually managed to stop the increasingly-popular 'tush push' play. Mac Jones was stood up as the whistle blew, but CJ Mosley continued to push him back, eventually throwing him to the ground well after the play was blown dead. Despite that, there was no call from the refs.

In the end, these calls didn't end up costing the Patriots the game. Even if they had lost, they had plenty of chances to make plays to offset the calls, and couldn't. Still, the crew made a game that was already frustrating to watch even more agitating.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.