New England Patriots
“That’s what I want to do and what any corner wants to do,”
FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots held Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy without a catch on Sunday. Jeudy had just two targets and was unable to haul either one in.
The 2020 first-round pick enjoyed his first 1,000-yard season last year, catching 90 passes for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns. He’s off to a slower pace so far this season, and the Patriots were a part of that.
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez said he strives for those kinds of performances.
“That’s what I want to do and what any corner wants to do,” Gonzalez said. “You want to take away who they want to go to. Today it was Jeudy, my assignment, so just go out there and execute it and play team defense.
“Shoutout to the front seven,” he added. “They were getting back there and making it hard for the QB to throw the ball, so it all works together. It’s not just one person covering or anything. It’s all of us coming together and making plays together.”
Gonzalez and Jeudy had a brief moment talking back and forth to each other early in the fourth quarter, with the Patriots up 30-7.
“It’s football. At the end of the day, it’s never personal,” Gonzalez said. “It’s two high-level athletes out there competing. In any way, it’s going to get a little talk but it’s nothing crazy. Same thing as if he were to make a play he would be talking to me. It is what it is.”
With Sunday’s triumph over the Browns, the Patriots are now riding a five-game win streak. After back-to-back 4-13 seasons, Gonzalez is relishing New England’s recent success.
“It’s amazing. Winning is amazing,” Gonzalez said. “I talk about it all the time. Everything comes with winning. So, you just want to come out here and win.”
“It’s awesome to come out and give the fans something to be excited about. Come out here; it’s a 1:00 game, and the stadium was rocking. It’s amazing to go out there and get some wins.”
Through eight games, the Patriots have held all of their opponents except Miami to 20 points or less. This is the second week in a row they’ve held an opponent to 13.
“I really like how close we are. It’s a bond,” Gonzalez said of the defense’s progression. “[Vrabel] brought it in going all the way back to OTAs. That was something we stressed on, making everybody feel close and get to know each other outside of that field. I love how close we are as a defense, as a team. It’s good energy.”
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