Patriots make a costly mistake regarding game plan for star CB Christian Gonzalez
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – The Los Angeles Rams have a deadly combination on offense between Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. So it was almost expected that the New England Patriots were going to have star cornerback Christian Gonzalez shadow one of them. But instead, the Patriots went in a different direction, having Gonzalez just stick to […]
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – The Los Angeles Rams have a deadly combination on offense between Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
So it was almost expected that the New England Patriots were going to have star cornerback Christian Gonzalez shadow one of them.
But instead, the Patriots went in a different direction, having Gonzalez just stick to one side of the field.
Nacua finished the game with seven receptions for 123 yards and touchdown, while Kupp recorded six catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
So clearly that plan didn't work out.
“Coaches came in, told me what the game plan was. I never look at it as surprised or upset or anything,” Gonzalez told reporters. “I’m doing what they want me to do. Whatever they tell me to do, I’m going to go out there and do my best to do.”
Head coach Jerod Mayo was asked a similar question about why the Patriots decided to go with this plan for Gonzalez.
“Look, going into the game, we have a plan, and we’re always willing to change that look,” Mayo said. “Like I said earlier, I felt like we were going to be okay. I thought we could outlast them.”
But why not make an adjustment at halftime?
“Yeah, we just thought that was the best thing to do,” Mayo said. “It’s a mix of man and zone, so we thought that was the best thing to do.”
Once the Rams noticed this, Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay had Nacua and Kupp on the opposite side, while DeMarcus Robinson was typically going against the Gonzalez.
But when he did go up against those star receivers, Gonzalez did a good job of locking them down.
