The New England Patriots' impressive campaign continues this weekend with a Divisional Round clash against the Houston Texans. The Patriots are looking to continue their momentum after their defense completely smothered the Los Angeles Chargers, and having a healthy Christian Gonzalez in the lineup would go a long way to help.
During the second half of the Chargers showdown, Gonzalez suffered a head injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the game. With how scary concussions can be, Patriots fans wondered if their star cornerback could advance through the NFL's concussion protocol in time for the weekend. He managed to practice throughout the week; however, that didn't guaranteed wether he'd play or not.
On Friday, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel announced that Gonzalez is questionable for Sunday's game, per ESPNs Mike Reiss. This comes a day after Gonzalez returned to practice without a no-contact jersey, indicating he should be good for Sunday barring any setbacks. Obviously, New England wants to play it safe before making an official designation.
- Update (Jan. 16, 4:48 p.m. ET): Reiss is reporting that Gonzalez "cleared concussion protocol this afternoon" and "has no injury designation" for this weekend.
Fortunately, the good news for Gonzalez & Co. didn't stop there.
Texans Ruling Nico Collins OUT Is Another Win for Gonzalez, Patriots
Later on Friday afternoon, the Houston Chronicle reported that top Texans wideout Nico Collins will not be playing in the Divisional Round. Much like Gonzalez, Collins has been dealing with a concussion throughout the week. The difference is that he was unable to clear protocol, whereas New England's CB1 did.
Having a healthy Gonzalez is a must for the defense if they want to continue winning, as he can help take away the opposing team's top receiver. Having him back against a Texans offense without Collins means he can take away Christian Kirk, who had a great Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, racking up eight catches for 144 yards and a touchdown.
With Gonzalez being able to guard Kirk one-on-one now, the rest of the secondary's job is easier since the rest of Houston's receiving room is unproven. While they still have to show up ready to play, it's a lot easier to game-plan for the Texans without Collins, who's fresh off his third straight 1,000-yard season.
It's also worth pointing out that, according to Statmuse, Houston is an uninspiring 8-11 in the 19 games that Collins has missed since debuting in 2021. That includes losses in the last two road games without him.
The Patriots' defense is much better whenever Gonzalez is healthy and contributing. Fortunately, the chances of him doing so are even more promising now that the Texans will be without Collins this weekend.