Patriots get good news on Christian Gonzalez’s health ahead of Texans playoff game

 The final step is “full football activity,” meaning that Gonzalez still has a few more practices to be cleared for full contact and get the green light to play on Sunday against Houston. 

A healthy Gonzalez would be a welcome sight for a Patriots defense that dominated earlier this week against the Chargers. According to Next Gen Stats, Gonzalez did not allow any catches on five targets within 26 coverage snaps in that win over Los Angeles. 

Speaking on Monday, Mike Vrabel did not lay out an official timeline for Gonzalez’s availability. 

“Gonzo continues to play at a high level,” Vrabel said. “Those are the expectations that he has for himself and that we have for him, and yeah, I would say that he would be in the protocol. How long that lasts, I don’t know, but when you don’t return to the game, when they won’t let you go back in the game, that would put him in the protocol.  

“So, wherever that goes, that goes, but we appreciate what he’s done and his willingness to line up different places. It’s not quite as easy as — we’ve been through this, but different coverages, locations, motions, and things like that. So, he’s handled that all really well. Hopefully, we’ll get him back.”

If cleared for Sunday, Gonzalez would likely be matched up against Houston’s top wide receiver, be it Nico Collins (whose status could be in doubt after suffering a concussion on Monday vs. Pittsburgh), Christian Kirk, or rookies Jayden Higgins or Jaylin Noel. 

In his third season in the NFL, Gonzalez has allowed 35 catches on 80 targets for 357 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. He has recorded 69 tackles, 10 pass breakups, and one tackle for loss.

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.