After failing all offseason to reach an agreement with Christian Gonzalez on a massive extension, the Patriots got it done at the last second to ensure that their superstar cornerback was ready to go against the Seahawks.
It was a crucial part of their preparation against the Super Bowl Champions, particularly due to how well Gonzalez fared against the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. In fact, if it weren't for his performance in the Super Bowl, the Seahawk likely would have put up well over 100 yards in the game.
Instead, he recorded just 4 receptions on 10 targets for 27 yards, his worst performance of the postseason, with the game against the 49ers being slightly better statistically, even if he totaled fewer yards.
So many felt confident that as long as Gonzalez was on the field, Sam Darnold was going to have a tough time getting the ball to his favorite target, and he'd be forced to get someone else involved. Except that's not what happened, even after the quarterback went down with an injury.
Why was that? Because the Patriots decided that it was a better plan to have Gonzalez on other receivers instead and put other cornerbacks on Smith-Njigba, or even worse, linebackers, resulting in the receiver recording 8 receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown, one of which was for 45 yards.
Given how Gonzalez has shut him down in the past, and even when targeted in this game, it's hard to understand why the coaching staff continued to keep him away throughout the game.
Christian Gonzalez wasn't utilized in the ways that earned him a massive extension with the Patriots
Although it's not entirely unexpected for a cornerback to not shadow a single receiver throughout the entirety of a game, when that cornerback is Christian Gonzalez and that wide receiver is Jaxon Smith-Njigba, that should be what we see in a game of this magnitude.
It might not be nearly as important as winning a Super Bowl, but starting the season with a win on the road in a hostile environment on a night when the reigning Champions unveiled their latest banner would've not only been great for morale, but also sent a message to the NFL after their championship loss.
One way to ensure that happened would have been to have Gonzalez shadow Smith-Njigba all night, especially since when he was covering him, according to Next Gen Stats, which was just two times all night, he recorded a pass breakup and an incomplete pass.
Throughout the night, the highest-paid cornerback showed exactly why he earned that title by recording 2 tackles and 2 pass breakups, while only being targeted 3 times on 26 pass coverage snaps per PFF.
That's the kind of performance you expect from a superstar player, and yet the Patriots thought it was a better idea to keep him away from the Seahawks' best offensive weapon for most of the night.
With D.K. Metcalf next on the docket, and the following games including Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers when playing the Jaguars, and D.J. Moore when visiting the Bills, they cannot have Gonzalez kept away from them for much of the game.
Otherwise, we'll see another performance like Smith-Njigba's every single week.
It would almost certainly mean more losses are on the way, even if the game ends with a close score, as this game did, and that's almost more of a disaster than a complete blowout. It's a lesson the Patriots need to learn and learn quickly, or else their season is surely doomed already.
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