Aaron Rodgers will get his first look at Christian Gonzalez on Thursday night.
Rodgers and the New York Jets will host the New England Patriots for the Week 3 edition of “Thursday Night Football.” Gonzalez played one game against the Jets in 2023, but Zach Wilson was at quarterback due to Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles tear. Rodgers hyped up Gonzalez ahead of his first matchup with the rising second-year cornerback.
Aaron Rodgers Offers High Praise for Christian Gonzalez on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’
Rodgers was asked about Gonzalez during his Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” The 40-year-old revealed he got to know Gonzalez when the two rehabbed their injuries at the same training facility during the offseason.
“I think he’s a great player,” Rodgers said. ” … I got to know him a little bit this offseason. He’s a great kid and he’s super, super talented. He’s an elite player.
” … Christian is one of those guys who enjoys a challenge; he enjoys competition and will go from side to side.”
"Christian Gonzalez is a great player and I got to know him a little bit this offseason..
He's a great kid and he's super talented"@AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Nz8v90B3aN
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 17, 2024
Gonzalez likely will be matched up against Jets receiver Garrett Wilson, who’s one of the best young wideouts in football. Last year, Wilson beat Gonzalez for just 18 yards on three catches, per TruMedia, but again, that was with Zach Wilson as his quarterback.
This time around, Gonzalez will have to deal with both a great receiver and an all-time quarterback.
How Well Has Gonzalez Played This Season?
Gonzalez is off to a solid start this season, although it’s difficult to truly assess his performance.
He limited Ja’Marr Chase to just three catches for 15 yards in New England’s season-opening win over the Bengals, but Chase and the entire Cincinnati offense clearly were rusty.
Gonzalez then limited DK Metcalf to three catches for 24 yards on seven targets in Week 2 but was involved in a coverage bust that resulted in a 56-yard touchdown for the Seattle Seahawks star. Patriots safety Kyle Dugger took the blame for the mistake after the game, but that doesn’t mean he was being honest.
Regardless, per TruMedia, Gonzalez has allowed just 24 catches on 35 targets for 203 yards and zero TDs in six career games — and 71 of those yards came in his first game. So, the 2023 first-round pick has played well, and opposing offenses have responded by rarely throwing at him.
Will that continue on Thursday night? We’ll just have to wait and see.
The Patriots and Jets are scheduled to kick off from MetLife Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET.