ClutchPoints
The New England Patriots will be facing the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, and they’ll have their key defender in the matchup. Christian Gonzalez was put in concussion protocol after their win against the Los Angeles Chargers, and it was uncertain throughout the week if he’d be ready to play in the next week.
It looks like Gonzalez hit all the benchmarks and will be ready to go, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
“Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez has cleared concussion protocol and will play Sunday against the Texans,” Pelissero wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Gonzalez was a big key for the Patriots’ defense this season, and he was just one of the many pieces that helped them become one of the better units in the league. Head coach Mike Vrabel is known as a defensive guy, and there was no doubt that he’d put his imprint on the team when he came in. Luckily for the Patriots, it didn’t take very long for them to see results.
The Patriots’ defense will get a break this week, as Nico Collins has been ruled out after not clearing the concussion protocol. With him not being able to go, that means they won’t have their best receiver on the field. For the Texans, they don’t rely on their offense to win them games, as their defense has been top-tier this season. Just ask the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That means that Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense have to be ready for whatever the Texans throw at them, and it could be a physical game.
Maye has shown all season that he is ready for the big moments, and getting past the Texans just gives them a bigger chance of making it to the Super Bowl. First, they have to focus on what’s in front of them and the challenges that come with it.
The post Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez will play vs. Texans after clearing concussion protocol appeared first on ClutchPoints.
