CINCINNATI – As Christian Gonzalez spoke, his defensive teammates hollered in the background. The noise started as the cornerback talked about covering Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
“He said, ‘He ain’t getting a new contract on me today,” one Patriots defensive lineman shouted.
As Gonzalez heard the words, he smiled.
“There was a plan – they wanted me to go with him,” Gonzalez said. “I talked about it earlier this week – that’s what you want. Being a corner, that’s your dream. Being able to do that is fun.”
Chase entered Sunday’s game as a ‘game-time decision’ after failing to reach a contract extension with the Bengals. The 3-time Pro Bowler sat out most of training camp due to the negotiations.
The third-year receiver is coming off a 2023 campaign where he caught 100 passes for 1,216 yards with seven touchdowns. He’s one of eight players in NFL history to have hit the 1,000-yard receiving mark in each of his first three seasons.
On Sunday, Gonzalez drew the challenge of covering Chase for most of the Patriots matchup in their upset win in Cincinnati. The receiver finished with six catches for 62 yards with a game-high 28-yard reception.
In the end, the Patriots defense stymied the Bengals – who finished with fewer points (10), first downs (13), and total yards (224) than the Patriots offense.
Gonzalez was the Patriots No. 1 cornerback last season, but his strong rookie campaign lasted just four games before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. In that short time, Gonzalez covered the likes of A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, Tyreek Hill, Garrett Wilson, and CeeDee Lamb.
On Sunday, he added Chase to the resume.
“I feel like we went out there and executed and did what we wanted to do. There were some plays we left out there, obviously, there’s never a perfect game,” Gonzalez said. “We’ll get in the film room and watch it. Personally, I feel like I did good. It was a fun matchup. He’s one of the best receivers in the league. It’s fun.”
