Christian Gonzalez injury: Pro Bowl CB in concussion protocol ahead of Patriots' divisional round game

New England Patriots Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez made his postseason debut on Sunday and excelled with a pair of pass breakups in a 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. But his first playoff game came to a premature end when he sustained a head injury, and coach Mike Vrabel said that Gonzalez is in concussion protocol ahead of a divisional round matchup against the winner of Monday night's meeting between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans.

Gonzalez exited the game after hitting his head on the turf while in coverage against Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston. The Patriots initially ruled him questionable to return, but later downgraded him to out after he went into the locker room for evaluation.

"Gonzo continues to play at a high level," Vrabel said in Monday's media availability. "Those are the expectations that he has for himself and that we have for him. I would say that he would be in the protocol. How long that lasts, I don't know. But when you don't return to the game, when they won't let you go back in the game, that would put him in the protocol. So wherever that goes, that goes. But we appreciate what he's done and his willingness to line up in different places. … He's handled that all really well, and hopefully we'll get him back."

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Gonzalez told reporters in the locker room after Sunday's win that he was not allowed to speak with the media, but he also said in that interaction that he was "fine." His availability for the next round of the postseason will be among the most impactful storylines to follow on the New England side as he has been one of the NFL's best pass defenders since his arrival in the league in 2023.

"I did talk to him," Vrabel said in his weekly WEEI radio appearance. "We'll go through whatever the steps are that would require him to pass through whatever he needs to do. Without having seen him today -- I can't sit here and speculate -- I just know that they wouldn't let him go back into the game."

While he remains in search of his first interception of the year, Gonzalez is in the midst of a fantastic campaign with 12 pass breakups (including playoffs) and a career-high 69 tackles. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection on the heels of a 2024 season in which he landed on the All-Pro second team.

Injuries have, unfortunately, cropped up in each of Gonzalez's first three professional seasons. He suffered a torn labrum in Week 4 of his rookie year and missed the final 13 games, sat one game the following year with a concussion and missed the first three contests of the present campaign with a hamstring injury he sustained in training camp.