Christian Gonzalez was immediately thrown into the fire.
The rookie cornerback played 100% of the Patriots defensive snaps in his NFL debut on Sunday. The first-round pick was also matched up with All-Pro receiver A.J. Brown and another 1,000-yard receiver DeVonta Smith.
It was an up-and-down NFL debut for Gonzalez. The Patriots clearly trust the rookie and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts put that to the test.
Gonzalez gave up seven catches on 11 targets for 84 yards in his first NFL game. The cornerback also broke up an important pass and notched his first NFL sack on Sunday.
“It means a lot,” Gonzalez said of the Patriots having trust in him. “There’s still so much we’ve got to gain. Just being here, ever since the spring, preseason, all that. Them knowing we can go out there and do it, and going out there and proving it, just trying to learn day in and day out.”
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For most of Sunday’s loss, Gonzalez was matched up with Brown. A 6-foot-1, 226-pound receiver, Brown is coming off the best season of his career. Last year, he finished with 88 catches, and 1,496 yards to go with 11 touchdowns. That performance earned him Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors.
Hurts completed 7-of-10 passes for 79 yards when targeting Brown on Sunday. With Gonzalez in coverage, Hurts went 5-of-7 for 62 yards.
Gonzalez also covered Smith in the second half. This receiver caught 95 passes for 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns last season. On Sunday, seven of 10 passes for 47 yards. With Gonzalez in coverage, Hurts went 2-of-4 for 22 yards.
“They’re great receivers. Everybody in the league are great receivers,” Gonzalez said. “It’s my job to come out and try to do what I do, play what the defense needs me to do, have fun and learn.”
Gonzalez’ night ended on a high note. At 7:46 of the fourth quarter, Gonzalez sacked Hurts on a cornerback blitz. Then in the final Eagles offensive series, the rookie cornerback deflected a Hurts pass to Smith on fourth-and-2.
It was a tough first matchup for Gonzalez, but the rookie didn’t look out of place going up against two of the best receivers in the NFL.
Here are the Patriots coverage stats vs. the Eagles:
| Rec | Targets | Yards | TDs | PBU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Gonzalez | 7 | 11 | 84 | 0 | 1 |
| Jonathan Jones | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Bryant | 2 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcus Jones | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
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