Steelers Now
The New England Patriots have downgraded All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez (hamstring) from questionable to out for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Gonzalez practiced for the first time this week since the end of July, having been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
“There’s a chance,” Vrabel said on WEEI on Monday when asked about Gonzalez’s status for the Steelers game.
Gonzalez is coming off a banner 2024 season in which he was named second-team All-Pro.
He finished the season with 59 combined tackles (50 solo), 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, one fumble recovery, and a touchdown in 16 games and 16 starts. He received an overall grade of 76.0 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 21st amongst 222 qualifying cornerbacks in 2024.
Gonzalez was a player that was on the Steelers’ radar in the 2023 NFL Draft, but Pittsburgh decided to trade up for Broderick Jones at 14th overall. Gonzalez went to the Pats at 17th overall. The Steelers addressed the cornerback position in the second round with Joey Porter Jr.
According to DraftKings Network, the Steelers are currently 1.5-point favorites over the Patriots in Week 3. Pittsburgh has -130 odds on the money line. New England is +110, and the over/under point total for the game is 44.5 points.
The Steelers defense has got off to an embarrassing start, but the offense hasn’t been great, either. The offensive line has been an issue and the receiver play has not been sharp. Running back Jaylen Warren led the Steelers in receiving on Sunday with four receptions for 86 yards (21.1 average).
Though two weeks, the Patriots lead the league in sacks with nine, while the Steelers offensive line has allowed seven sacks. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has also been hit 15 times.
It’s a small sample size, but the Patriots rank third in run defense (58.5 yards per game) and 32nd in pass defense (315.0 yards per game). The battle in the trenches will be crucial for the Steelers, who have failed to establish the run game and protect Rodgers in the first two games.
With Gonzalez out, Carlton Davis III will be matched up with DK Metcalf.
Rodgers wants to see the Steelers get their run game going on Sunday.
“We gotta run the ball. They play two-high, you gotta run the ball,” Rodgers said. “We gotta run the football against these combo coverages and two-high coverages. So you run the football, you have a chance to have some good play action stuff.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Patriots Will Be Without Star Player vs. Steelers
