Sportsnaut
Christian Gonzalez missed the first three games of the season for the New England Patriots due to a lingering hamstring issue. However, the star cornerback returned ahead of the Week 4 matchup against the Carolina Panthers, and the Patriots are 2-0 since their best corner has been healthy.
Last weekend, Gonzalez and the rest of the defense had a very tough test. The team had to contain Josh Allen, who is one of the game’s elite passers. The same won’t be the case this Sunday when they take on the New Orleans Saints and Spencer Rattler, but Gonzalez isn’t sleeping on Rattler, either.
The quarterback has had his struggles this year, but last week was his best game of the season and the Saints’ first win as well. Against the New York Giants, Rattler threw for 225 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Rattler has also not been afraid to use his legs, so that’s another thing the Patriots’ defense will have to account for.
Speaking with the media on Wednesday, Gonzalez was complimentary of the young quarterback.
“Yeah, he’s good,” Gonzalez said of Rattler. “He’s an athletic quarterback- scrambles around a lot. He can make a lot of throws. He’s got a lot of real good arm talent. I mean, it’ll be a fun matchup.”
So far in 2025, Rattler has thrown for 990 yards with six touchdowns and just one interception. The quarterback has also rushed 22 times for 123 yards while completing 67.2% of his passes.
On paper, this seems like a decent matchup for Rattler. The Patriots are 26th in passing yards allowed per game, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Rattler try and push the ball down the field. However, three of the Patriots’ games have been without Gonzalez, so the stats may be a little out of context.
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