Most people advocating for the New England Patriots heading into the playoffs focused on their offense, led by MVP candidate Drake Maye. They weren’t necessarily wrong to credit that unit, but it has instead been the defense that has stepped up big time en route to the Patriots run to the Super Bowl.
Through their three game playoff stretch, the New England defense has allowed just 26 points, including just three against the Los Angeles Chargers and seven against the Broncos.
Christian Gonzalez made the game sealing interception in Sunday’s AFC Championship game and had this to say about the Patriots defense as a whole:
“Two weeks in a row… they talk about the Texans defense, this week it was all about the Broncos defense. Like [Milton Williams] said, we get that chip on our shoulder,” Gonzalez said. “It’s cool, it’s great if you want to count us out because we’re just going to go out there and show what we can do; play team defense and get the ball back to [Maye] and let him do his thing.”
Gonzalez also said this about his interception in the fourth quarter:
“I just saw the ball, I didn’t even see the snow, I didn’t see none of that,” he said. “At that point, ball is in the air, I was playing off so I got to see it pretty early, which doesn’t happen too much. Most of the time I’m in press, but I was off, saw the ball, and at that point it’s like I’m playing receiver again. Just find the ball, go up and get it at the highest point.”
Patriots Defense Putting Up Historic Stats in Playoffs
Through the Wild Card, Divisional, and Championship rounds, the Patriots have allowed an average of just 8.7 points per game. This is the eighth best defensive performance by a team in NFL playoff history for teams who played a minimum of three playoff games. In fact, it’s the fewest points against per game by a team since the the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers allowed 12.3 points per game in their playoff run.
The Patriots have registered 12 sacks and five interceptions through these three games. K’Lavon Chaisson leads the way with three sacks, while Milton Williams and Anfernee Jennings have two apiece. Carlton Davis’ two interceptions against Houston lead the team, while Marcus Jones’ pick-six against the Texans and Gonzalez’s interception on Sunday have made massive impacts.
Gonzalez Preparing For Most Difficult Matchup of Career
Gonzalez has established himself as a star in this league in his three seasons, and his biggest chance to prove that to a national audience will come in the Super Bowl. He’ll be matched up against the likely Offensive Player of the Year in Jaxon Smith-Njigba on Super Bowl Sunday.
Smith-Njigba led the NFL in receiving yards in the regular season with 1,793; he’s one of the most dynamic receivers in the league.
His successful regular season has carried into the playoffs; he had 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown against the Rams in the NFC Championship and had a touchdown against the 49ers in the Divisional round.
Patriots Star Christian Gonzalez Sounds Off on Huge Interception in AFC Championship