New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday's game is a major opportunity for this Patriots rookie

By Pierce Downey | Last updated 9/17/23

In his professional debut against the Philadelphia Eagles, Patriots rookie first round pick Christian Gonzalez showed that he could compete against some of the league's top talents.

Gonzalez accounted for multiple pass deflections — with one one coming in the late fourth quarter on a crucial fourth down by Philadelphia — and a sack.

Although Gonzalez made a few poor decisions, for the most part, the main takeaway from the game was that Gonzalez was able to withstand the aura of the Eagles' receiving core containing A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith — some of the best in the NFL.

Christian Gonzalez. 4th down stop. pic.twitter.com/ydfaNiRP2S
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) September 12, 2023

Surprisingly, however, a greater test awaits Gonzalez this week.

On Sunday night, the New England Patriots play their division rival Miami Dolphins. Miami's receiving duo of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill is easily the best in the league, and maybe the best in NFL history.

In the opening week against the Los Angeles Chargers, Hill accounted for two touchdowns and 215 of QB Tua Tagovailoa's 466 passing yards. Waddle accounted for an underwhelming 78 receiving yards, but nonetheless, the two proved their capacity to tear apart opposing defenses.

TYREEK. HILL. TOUCHDOWN.

THIS GAME IS WILD
pic.twitter.com/YK5W8odZqW
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 10, 2023

Sunday is a make-or-break game for the former Oregon corner. If Gonzalez colossally fails in front of a national audience, then his strong regular season debut will be forgotten. If he succeeds, then he could very well become the DROY front-runner.

Luckily for Gonzalez, New England corners have had a decent track record against Miami's scary receiving core in the past. In 2022, Waddle and Hill averaged 48 and 92 yards against New England, respectively. The two were by no means dominated by New England's defense, but they were certainly prevented from having a breakout game.

Because New England has limited the Hill-Waddle pair in the past, Gonzalez will be in good hands to succeed from a coaching perspective. When game time comes, however, Gonzalez's success will be entirely up to him.

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