The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in the wild-card round on Sunday night in Foxborough. It was a dominant game by New England’s defense, as it imposed its will against Los Angeles all night long. Unfortunately, it might have cost them their Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez, though, who’s now in concussion protocol after exiting the game early in the fourth quarter with a head injury.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Gonzalez nearly intercepted a pass targeting wide receiver Quentin Johnston in front of New England’s sideline. When he broke on the ball and hit the turf, Johnston also did the same, but landed on top of Gonzalez’s head. Gonzalez, however, remained in the game for the following play, which forced a fourth down and brought out the punt teams.
Gonzalez got his bell rung, there’s no doubt about it. He was noticeably wobbly trying to stand up after the play. According to head coach Mike Vrabel, during his weekly radio interview on WEEI, Gonzalez wasn’t cleared to return to the game after that drive. In those situations, the player will automatically be entered into the concussion protocol.
“Yes, I did talk to him," Vrabel said. "And so, we’ll go through whatever the steps are that would require him to pass through whatever he needs to. So, without having seen him today, I can’t sit here and speculate; I just know that they wouldn’t let him go back into the game.”
Gonzalez played 42 snaps (70 percent). He didn’t have any tackles, but he had two pass defenses, and he didn’t allow any receiver to make a catch on five targets. While New England is still awaiting the time of its next playoff game, Gonzalez has time to get through the protocol. In fact, just a few weeks ago, it only took rookie TreVeyon Henderson a couple of days at practice for him to be cleared and play the following week.
Patriots Depth to Be Tested on Defense in Divisional Round of Playoffs
The Patriots relied on backup cornerback Charles Woods to play in place of Gonzalez for the fourth quarter. He recorded 23 defensive snaps and 11 on special teams. Woods finished the game with two tackles. It’s worth mentioning that Woods found himself on the field earlier in the game for cornerback Carlton Davis, who came off the field for a few plays to nurse a toe injury.
If Gonzalez is unable to play in Sunday's game, depth is suddenly thin at the position. They were able to get by for a quarter, but an entire game is a different story. If that’s the case, the Patriots would have to rely on Woods and rookie Kobee Minor. There’s also Alex Austin, who’s still in his return window from injured reserve, and he is eligible to be activated for Sunday’s Divisional round if New England needs him to be.
Considering the way things went against the Chargers, it was Woods who went to the field first in relief for both starting cornerbacks and he did well with the defense being sprung into the mix like he was.
It’s worth mentioning that last week, the Pats re-signed Miles Battle to the practice squad, but then they released him again as the corresponding roster transaction to make way for depth at offensive line for Sebastian Gutierrez.
The Patriots will play the winner of the matchup between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday for the right to play for the AFC Championship.