Christian Gonzalez is already developing into a shutdown corner

“Being a corner, that’s your dream. Being able to do that is fun.”

Christian Gonzalez had another standout performance against a top wideout on Sunday. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Christian Gonzalez completed just his fourth full game in the NFL ranks on Sunday afternoon.

And for the fourth time, the second-year corner shut down one of the top receivers in the game.

In his first game since suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4 of the 2023 season, Gonzalez played a key role in New England’s 16-10 upset win over the Bengals — neutralizing Joe Burrow’s top receiving threat in Ja’Marr Chase.

Chase — coming off a 2023 season where he reeled in 100 passes for 1,216 yards — finished with just six catches for 62 yards in Sunday’s Week 1 matchup. In total, Gonzalez covered Chase on 20 of his 28 routes on Sunday, with Chase only snagging three catches for 14 yards with Gonzalez in coverage.

As noted by MassLive’s Mark Daniels, several Patriots players spoke up about Gonzalez’s shutdown reputation as the 22-year-old corner fielded questions after the 16-10 win.

“He said, ‘He ain’t getting a new contract on me today,” one Patriots player shouted, referencing Gonzalez’s play against Chase and the Cincy receiver’s ongoing contract dispute with the Bengals.

“There was a plan – they wanted me to go with him,” Gonzalez said of drawing matchups with Chase. “I talked about it earlier this week – that’s what you want. Being a corner, that’s your dream. Being able to do that is fun.”

For the late-night crowd: Christian Gonzalez in man coverage vs Ja’Marr Chase

Gonzo was sticky in press, anticipated well when playing off, and his only actual losses were when the CB was picked pic.twitter.com/MV0Hizs17C

— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) September 9, 2024

Even though that shoulder injury against the Cowboys last October (a game where he was matched up against CeeDee Lamb) cut his rookie season short, Gonzalez is already developing a track record for negating some of the most talented wideouts in the NFL.

Here’s how Gonzalez fared against top wideouts in his three full games last season, as noted by NBC Sports Boston’s Nick Goss.

Week 1 vs. Eagles (Sept. 10, 2023)

A.J. Brown: 19 routes, four receptions, 47 yards

DeVonta Smith: 11 routes, two receptions, 22 yards, pass breakup

Week 2 vs. Dolphins (Sept. 17, 2023)

Tyreek Hill: 17 routes, zero receptions, one interception

Jaylen Waddle: Four routes, one reception, 15 yards

Week 3 vs. Jets (Sept. 24, 2023)

Garrett Wilson: 23 routes, three catches, 18 yards

Even with his limited reps in 2023, Gonzalez — the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft — took home NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month honors last September, earning plenty of praise from Hill for his performance in Week 2 against the Dolphins.

“I was able to go against the rookie. He’s real good,” Hill said of Gonzalez during an episode of his “It Needed To Be Said” podcast last year. “Very lengthy corner. Had some real good technique and speed about him. They’ve got some real good pieces over there in New England, man.”

The road isn’t going to get any easier for Gonzalez moving forward during what will be a daunting schedule for New England in 2024.

He’s expected to get the lion’s share of reps against Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf in New England’s home opener on Sunday, along with projected matchups against New York’s Wilson on Thursday Night Football in Week 3 (Sept. 19), Brandon Aiyuk/Deebo Samuel in San Francisco for Week 4 (Sept. 29) and both Hill and Waddle once again vs. Miami on Oct. 6.

That’s a brutal stretch of matchups for any corner, let alone one with just four full games of NFL experience under his belt. But so far, Gonzalez have done little to dispel the notion that he’ll keep winning his matchups against some of the league’s best.