Patriots' defensive outlook changes after Christian Gonzalez injury news

The Patriots' defense was on fire against the Chargers on Sunday night, playing much better than anyone anticipated against a tough offensive matchup. Among the best performers was, unsurprisingly, cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who shut down every receiver he was covering all night.

Considering one of those players was Ladd McConkey, it was another impressive showing from the Pro Bowler.

But after a great pass breakup late in the game, Gonzalez appeared shaken up after the play and headed to the blue medical tent, and eventually, was ruled questionable to return.

He never returned, and fortunately, the Patriots didn't need him to get the win. But if his head injury is serious, like he suffered a concussion, missing time going into the divisional round would be devastating for their defense against the Steelers or Texans, both of whom have explosive weapons to work with.

The Patriots' defense might be in trouble if Christian Gonzalez has to miss time

In Gonzalez's absence at the beginning of the season, it was clear the secondary was struggling and needed help as soon as possible. It prompted fans to demand the Patriots sign a free agent for some insurance, particularly Stephon Gilmore, only for the new regime to wait for Gonzalez to be cleared to return.

Now that they're in the second round of the playoffs, they don't have the luxury of waiting it out if Gonzalez has to miss time. Not having him on the field creates a massive opportunity for opposing offenses to exploit, especially when Carlton Davis III, who is usually lined up on the opposite side of Gonzalez, has a rough night or suffers an injury himself, just as he did on Sunday.

It could lead to activating Alex Austin from injured reserve, or maybe switching their lineup if Gonzalez cannot go.

But the hope is that he didn't suffer anything serious and will be ready to go for next week's matchup. We likely won't know anything definitive until later in the week, so we'll have to be patient in the meantime, even though that may be difficult.