Early voting results show the NFL is snubbing clear Patriots Pro Bowler

The Patriots 2024 season has not been one many will want to remember, for any good reason, anyway. However, there are a few impressive performances from a couple of players that should be recognized beyond New England fans. Yet, they continue to be ignored by those outside the region.

It's a tale as old as time when it comes to high-performing players suited up in a Patriots uniform, as it became the expected outcome for anyone having a great season. The NFL will ignore what they're doing simply because of who they play for, and that even happened to quarterback Tom Brady throughout his two-decade career.

That appears to be happening to second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez, as the first standings of Pro Bowl voting have been released. Despite being one of the best lockdown cornerbacks in the entire league, Gonzalez doesn't even rank in the top-10 at the position in current voting, further proving that there is a vendetta against Patriots players and acknowledging good players.

It can certainly be celebrated that the team finally has a punter on the list after struggling to find the right one for several years; it's difficult to overlook the obvious snub of Gonzalez, especially when looking at the kind of season he has already put together despite missing almost all of his rookie season in 2023.

Christian Gonzalez deserves to be recognized for how good he is by the NFL

While being a first-round cornerback means you should be competing at a high level immediately upon entering the NFL, and Gonzalez has done that, he played in just three games as a rookie before suffering a season-ending injury against the Cowboys last year. It was a massive hit to the Patriots' defense and his development, making his comeback even more impressive this year.

He has remained the top cornerback for New England every week and has put together a Pro Bowl-caliber season already, with just four games left to play. It could even be argued that he should be considered for All-Pro at the end of the year, but that's not voted upon just yet.

Through 13 games this year, Gonzalez has allowed just 41 catches on 72 targets for a 56.9% completion. He's on the books for 430 yards allowed and two touchdowns while also racking up two interceptions, five pass breakups, and a fumble-returned touchdown, all while covering some of the best receivers in the league: Davante Adams, Brandon Aiyuk, Ja'Marr Chase, and Cooper Kupp, just to name a few.

Because of his consistently impressive performances and Pro Bowl voting underway, a handful of Gonzalez's Patriots teammates took to Instagram to share their support for the cornerback and believe he should be considered for All-Pro this year.

Will it happen?

Could Pro Bowl voting dramatically change between now and when the voting is closed, moving Gonzalez into a spot to represent the AFC? It's hard to say, but it seems more likely that we won't see any Pro Bowlers on the team's roster this year, despite guys like Gonzalez proving he's earned it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

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