Patriots fans can take a sigh of relief after latest Christian Gonzalez update

After making an incredible pass breakup in the third quarter of last week's game against the Chargers, cornerback Christian Gonzalez was visibly shaken from hitting the ground hard with his efforts. He was almost immediately removed from the game and put into concussion protocol, where he has spent most of the week.

In the Patriots' preparation for the Texans over the last few days, there were many concerns about Gonzalez's availability for Sunday's matchup. Given how important he has become to the defense, they would be a much weaker group without him on the field, and that doesn't appear to be a concern as of Thursday afternoon.

The cornerback returned to practice on Wednesday in a non-contact jersey, which immediately boded well for his potential to suit up this weekend.

But even better yet, he was back at practice on Thursday without the red jersey, seemingly confirming he had cleared concussion protocol and should be good to go when Houston comes to town on Sunday afternoon.

The Patriots have luck on their side, as Christian Gonzalez fully returns to practice

That's a massive break for the Patriots, who would have been in a major hole had he been ruled out ahead of the matchup. And although his status hasn't been made official yet, his presence at practice is a good sign of what's likely to come.

The same cannot be said for the Texans, however, who also lost a star player to a concussion in last week's game. Wide receiver Nico Collins left the game against the Steelers and entered protocol, and the latest updates suggest he won't be ready for the divisional round.

He has not been practicing this week, and based on the typical pattern of concussion protocol, his chances of being available continue to dwindle, which gives the Patriots' defense a major boost, considering just how good Collins has been for his team.

Assuming Gonzalez will be cleared to play, it's crucial that the Patriots also make Alex Austin available, if possible, to bulk up the cornerback depth in case disaster strikes. It would be far worse if Gonzalez played and something happened, leaving them without a solid backup plan.

Austin hasn't been officially activated just yet, so we'll have to see what happens there. But, hopefully, they'll make him available for the game.