5 more of the Patriots’ best plays during the 2023 season

Christian Gonzalez’s sack on Jaylen Hurts

There could be a top 5 Christian Gonzalez plays in 2023, even though he only played three and a bit games in his rookie year. He was still named Defensive Rookie of the Month in September though! 

 In Week 1, he recorded the Patriots’ third sack of the season against the Eagles. And it was something to behold. Any defensive end would have been happy with it. He bounced off what was admittedly an incredibly weak block from Jack Stoll (who seemed confused that a cornerback wasn’t dropping into coverage).

Gonzalez had such a smooth path into the backfield he nearly ran past Jalen Hurts. But Gonzalez was so quick he got to Hurts just as he was about to step up to avoid the rush, but Hurts wasn’t fast enough to elude the rookie.