Patriots Breathe Sigh of Relief: Gonzalez Cleared Ahead of Texans Showdown
Patriots' Playoff Hopes Bolstered: Christian Gonzalez Cleared for Texans Showdown
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Posted Under: Patriots Injuries
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Heading into Sunday’s match-up against the Houston Texans, New England was likely hoping it would have all hands on deck as the Patriots try to advance to the AFC Championship game.
Fortunately, on Friday, things appear to have worked out in their favor.
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who spent this week in concussion protocol for the second time this season, has reportedly been cleared and is expected to be out there against the Texans.
That’s huge for a Patriots defense that will likely be in another hard-fought battle against a Houston defense that sat atop the league in most categories in 2025.
If it’s another low-scoring affair, giving up big plays is something they’re going to have to try not to do, and having Gonzalez out there certainly improves their chances of keeping quarterback C.J. Stroud and Houston’s offense at bay.
Gonzalez suffered the injury late in last week’s match-up against the Chargers, with the third-year cornerback staying down on the field after making a hit on Los Angeles wideout Quentin Johnston.
It happened on the second play of the fourth quarter, which was a 2nd-and-7 from the Chargers’ 46-yard line. Gonzalez had the pass well-covered and as he tackled Johnston, the receiver landed on top of him.
The veteran defensive back was slow to get up, and made it clear he didn’t want to come out of the game. However, two plays later, after the Chargers punted, Gonzalez, left the field and didn’t return.
That put his status coming into this week in question. He was limited in practice on Wednesday but was a full participant both Thursday and Friday prior to being cleared.
That’s good news for a club looking to advance to its first AFC Championship since the 2018 season. The Bills/Broncos match-up happening later on Saturday will decide how that scenario might play out.
For now, the Patriots simply have to take care of business. Depending on how today’s AFC Divisional match-up in Denver plays out, New England will either travel to Denver to play the Broncos or face the Buffalo Bills next Sunday at Gillette Stadium for the Conference Championship.
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