The New England Patriots were able to overcome a less-than-superhuman game from Drake Maye, taking down the Denver Broncos in a sloppy 10-7 game that was aided by some inclement weather. Christian Gonzalez and the defense made life difficult on backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham after a promising start.
It was Gonzalez who helped keep Denver off the scoreboard in the final three quarters, and it was No. 0 again who picked off Stidham on what would have been a game-winning drive. Gonzalez's game was superb, and the announcers gave him props for his tremendous performance.
Even though the Patriots' ride back to the top of the NFL has been satisfying for fans, many of their non-Maye players haven't gotten the same level of national publicity as the MVP finalist. That may change after Gonzalez played such a big hand in helping the Patriots storm back to the Super Bowl, as CBS' Tony Romo was in awe of the impact he had on the defense as a whole.
"No one's been better than Gonzalez this postseason," Romo said on the CBS broadcast after his game-sealing interception, "He's been outstanding." This defense would not have been able to have this late-season surge without Gonzalez at the tip of the spear.
Tony Romo praises Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez after dominant postseason
Maye had arguably his worst game as a Patriot today, taking five sacks and completed just 10 of his 21 passes while leading the team to just 10 points (six of which came on a drive that started at Denver's 12-yard line). The defense needed to pick up the MVP candidate, and they did so in emphatic fashion.
Gonzalez himself has been on fire this postseason. After coming into this game with zero postseason touchdowns allowed and a completion percentage under 40% when targeted, Gonzalez took a limited Broncos wide receiver room and completely shut them down.
Gonzalez will have a bigger challenge ahead of him in the Super Bowl. Depending on which of the Seattle Seahawks or Los Angeles Rams advance to the championship, Gonzalez will be tasked with either slowing down Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Puka Nacua without the snowy weather helping him.
The weather helps, but Gonzalez' postseason has helped establish him as one of the preeminent cornerbacks in all of football, and a ring would only strengthen his case for the hypothetical mantle of best defensive back the sport has to offer.