Star cornerback Christian Gonzalez is in concussion protocol

FOXBOROUGH — Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez is in concussion protocol and his standing for Sunday’s divisional-round playoff sport just isn’t but clear, coach Mike Vrabel stated Monday.

In keeping with Subsequent Gen Stats, Gonzalez didn’t enable any catches on 5 targets inside 26 protection snaps in Sunday night’s win over the Chargers. He’s permitting a league greatest minus-9.7 receptions over anticipated this season, together with the playoffs.

Sunday was Gonzalez’s playoff debut, and he left the sport within the fourth quarter with a head harm. He didn’t return.

“Gonzo continues to play at a excessive stage,” Vrabel stated. “These are the expectations that he has for himself and that we have now for him, and yeah, I’d say that he can be within the protocol. How lengthy that lasts, I don’t know, however once you don’t return to the sport, once they gained’t allow you to return within the sport, that might put him within the protocol.

“So, wherever that goes, that goes, however we recognize what he’s accomplished and his willingness to line up totally different locations. It’s not fairly as simple as — we’ve been by means of this, however totally different coverages, places, motions, and issues like that. So, he’s dealt with that every one very well. Hopefully, we’ll get him again.”

Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones have been the Patriots’ high trio at cornerback this season. Davis, who begins reverse Gonzalez, has performed in 90 p.c of the defensive snaps this season. Gonzalez, who missed three video games at first of the season with a hamstring harm, has performed in 76 p.c of the snaps. Jones, who primarily performs the slot, has performed in 71 p.c of the defensive snaps.

Charles Woods and Kobee Minor have taken on reserve roles. Alex Austin, who was within the combine earlier within the season, hasn’t performed since Nov. 23 after a wrist harm landed him on injured reserve.

Welcome again

By the primary two days of wild-card play, the Patriots were the only team to hold an opponent without a touchdown. Having Milton Williams and Robert Spillane again from harm gave them a lift.

Williams had two sacks, together with on the Chargers’ closing possession. Spillane had six whole tackles and deflected a go.

“It’s good to have [Williams] again, isn’t it?” heart Garrett Bradbury stated. “Good to have [Spillane] again. These guys are getting wholesome. They’re flying round, it was superior. I feel you’ve received to cease the run on this league to have success. They did that, after which they went to eat. That’s once you noticed that go rush warmth up within the third and fourth quarter.”

“It’s superior. It provides you a lot confidence as an offense. Like, in that first half, we didn’t have any touchdowns. We solely scored one on the evening. It’s like, pay attention, it’s not going good, we’re going to determine it out, protection goes to carry it down and we’ll get the factors that we want.”

Chipping away at it

Rhamondre Stevenson was the Patriots’ main receiver on Sunday with 75 yards on 4 catches, together with a 48-yarder once they had been backed up close to their purpose line.

Stevenson has six touchdowns in his final 4 video games — 4 dashing and two receiving. He has averaged a minimum of 5.3 yards per carry in every sport throughout that stretch. After some early-season struggles, Sunday marked Stevenson’s tenth straight sport with no fumble.

When requested about Stevenson’s latest success, Bradbury highlighted the operating again’s aggressiveness in go safety as part of his sport that will go unnoticed.

“He’s doing a little nice stuff. Everybody sees the runs and the lengthy catches he has, however I feel we ask our backs to do fairly a bit in safety, too,” Bradbury stated. “Him and [TreVeyon Henderson] will stick their nostril within the fan and decide up a blitzer from 10 yards no drawback. TreVeyon had a giant one on that landing.

“Whether or not it’s chipping edge rushers for our tackles, all these little issues aren’t talked about or seen as a lot, however that makes this offense go as a lot as the massive runs and the massive catches.”