Patriots have built a shutdown secondary and nobody is talking about it

Christian Gonzalez put the league on notice through his first two seasons in the NFL and has continued that momentum into 2025 as one of the league's premier cornerbacks. As incredible as he's been, the cornerback performances haven't been limited to his play.

Big-ticket free agent addition Carlton Davis inked a three-year deal this past offseason, and slot cornerback Marcus Jones has been incredible, being rewarded with a three-year extension of his own on Tuesday.

While Davis has struggled with penalties, the trio had one of their best performances as a group on Sunday. Gabriel was 2/8 for 15 yards when targeting Patriots cornerbacks, with neither Gonzalez nor Davis allowing a catch.

The trio added twelve total tackles to go along with their four PBUs. The Patriots' passing defense was admittedly suspect to start this season, and they rank 19th in the league compared to being the fourth-ranked unit overall. They've kept three quarterbacks under 160 passing yards this year, while the only 300+ yard performances were from Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa in Weeks 1 and 2.

After averaging 338.5 passing yards against them in the first two weeks, the Patriots have limited QBs to 186.3 yards a game since, a total that would shoot them up to joint seventh in the league with Denver.

The Patriots cornerbacks are some of the best in the league

As mentioned, penalties have been a concern for Carlton Davis, but both Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones have been lockdown. It seems to be a given that the former will be selected as an All-Pro, while Jones will likely nab a spot as a return man. He's been excellent too.

The great news about this group is that they're here for the long haul. Gonzalez has an extra year and his fifth-year option on his rookie deal. Davis inked a three-year deal this offseason, so he'll be under contract until the end of 2027, and Jones' new deal will keep him on the squad until 2028.

Alex Austin is the CB4 currently, so they may look for a more experienced additional defensive back in the offseason, but until then, they have one of the league's best trios.

New England allowed 211.5 yards a game last season, but their 186.3 figure from Weeks 3-8 far surpasses that. In fact, it would have made their defense the second-best in football last year. Should they be able to keep up their pass defense they've shown through the past few weeks, the playoffs are a given with how Drake Maye has played.

Add in their second-ranked run defense, and this team looks to be one that can make a deep playoff run.