Christian Gonzalez, Kyle Dugger react to costly Metcalf touchdown in loss to Seahawks
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez discussed the team’s defensive game against the Seattle Seahawks, including one massive game-changing play.
In the end, miscues in all three phases of the game crushed the New England Patriots in a 23-20 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. But it was on defense where the most crucial mistakes happened.
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez was at the center of one of the game’s biggest plays, both literally and figuratively. Late in the first quarter, after the Patriots had jumped out to a 7-0 lead, the Seahawks faced a second-and-5, and both Gonzalez and safety Kyle Dugger sat on a shorter pass off the snap.
That turned out to be a critical error, as Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf sped through the tollbooth and streaked down the field for a wide-open deep ball from quarterback Geno Smith, high-stepping into the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown and the game’s longest single play. Whatever momentum the Patriots had gained from scoring first went poof.
This wasn’t a case of simply getting outplayed by a dynamic receiver. This was one of the ugliest busted coverages you’ll ever see from the Patriots, certainly in this century. Just like that, a Pats defense that had built up a wall of goodwill after an outstanding season opener had a Metcalf-sized hole blasted through it.
“Miscommunication,” Gonzalez said after the game. “You can’t hide that in the secondary. When that happens in the secondary, it goes for a big play. We’ll get it fixed. We’ll be alright.”
Gonzalez denied that he was meant to play deep safety on the play that led to the Metcalf touchdown, keeping it to simply a “miscommunication.” Realistically, Metcalf was Gonzalez’s guy.
Metcalf caught three of seven targets for 24 yards when matched up against Gonzalez, according to Next Gen Stats. Gonzalez essentially shadowed Metcalf for the majority of the game, lining up across from him on 36 of 44 routes (82%). However, only six of those routes (17%) were in press coverage.
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“Next Gen Stats” appears to be blaming someone else for the Metcalf touchdown, or no one player in particular. It’s hard to judge who exactly was supposed to get back on that play. It also feels wrong to simply expunge it from the record.
Dugger put the play on himself when asked about it after the game.
“We were in max blitz coverage, just a bad read by myself,” Dugger said. “They caught us in a call that was kind of problematic, their offensive call versus our defensive call.”
A “max blitz” leaves no deep safety help down the field, creating a perfect opportunity for a quarterback and big-play receiver to connect. Smith and Metcalf made the Pats pay.
Metcalf made seven more catches against other defenders, totaling 10 for 129 yards and the touchdown. Smith completed 33-of-44 passes for 327 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers, a 103.1 passer rating, as the Seahawks compiled 358 net yards of offense. Second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba also had a big game, racking up 12 catches for 117 yards.
The Patriots tightened up defensively in the second half, allowing just three points over the final 30 minutes of regulation, but did allow the Seahawks to drive 42 yards and set up a 38-yard, game-tying field goal with just 58 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“Me personally, I know I could’ve played a little better,” Gonzalez added, when asked about the game-tying drive. “I’m always real hard on myself. But, you know, it is what it is. Learn from it and move on to next week.”
The Patriots offense, meanwhile, netted 310 total yards of offense, but only 127 yards through the air. Rhamondre Stevenson took a direct snap for a touchdown that gave the Pats a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter. But from there, the Seahawks scored six unanswered points, while the Patriots had a blocked field goal then punted on their final two offensive possessions. Still, the defense is putting this one on their shoulders.
“The offense did what they needed to do for us to win today,” said defensive end Keion White. “I think for us as a defense, we need to play better, me included, D-line, D-backs, linebackers, everybody. We need to go to the drawing board, watch the film, and see how we can improve. It’s a short week, and that’s what it’s all about, making the corrections.”
The Patriots are 1-1 on the 2024 season, and it can be argued that their defense alone is 1-1 in terms of their overall performance on the field. The next two weeks, including a short turnaround for a Thursday night game against Aaron Rodgers and the Jets in Week 3, will be a good test for head coach Jerod Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington in terms of how they respond to a down week.
Most of all, we’re left to find out how Gonzalez, White, and the rest of the players respond themselves.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
