The New England Patriots’ defensive back, Christian Gonzalez was not selected to the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl roster. Gonzalez has been one of the few bright spots on a poor Patriots team this season. After injuries sidelined him for most of his rookie year, Gonzalez was slotted into the number one corner role for New England. He’s had a very good season despite the Patriots being 3-13 and set to have a top pick in this year’s NFL draft. So, his snubbing from the Pro Bowl has upset New England fans. Christian Gonzalez was one of the few positives from their disappointing season, but did not make the Pro Bowl despite his talent.
Christian Gonzalez’s Excellent Season
In his second season, Christian Gonzalex has quickly emerged as a top defensive back in the NFL. He looked very promising in his rookie season before his injury but was only for a couple of games. Still, Gonzalez was tasked with one of the most difficult jobs as an NFL cornerback. Every week, Christian Gonzalez has been guarding the opponent’s best receivers, and for the most part, he has succeeded in shutting them down. This season, Gonzalez has been targeted 70 times and allowed 31 catches. This gives him a 44% completion rate when thrown to, giving up 376 yards this season and 23.5 yards per game.
Giving up an average of 23.5 yards per game when defending the opponent’s best receiver is excellent. And the statistics do not even account for the times when quarterbacks don’t throw at Christian Gonzalez because of the coverage. Defensive back statistics can be flawed due to the disparities of man and zone coverage, and Gonzalex is not immune to being beaten by players like DK Metcalf and Brian Thomas Jr, but he has still had a great season. He has defended the best receivers in the league, like Jamarr Chase and Tyreek Hill, and done more than hold his own.
In Christian Gonzalez’s matchups against the best receivers in the NFL, he has excelled. In his first ever NFL game, he was sent out to defend AJ Brown and Devonta Smith. The rookie covered Brown for 19 routes, giving up four catches for 47 yards. Versus Smith, he only gave up two catches for 22 yards. In Week 1 this season, Christian Gonzalez defended Jamarr Chase for 20 routes and held him to three catches for 15 yards. Guarding the best of the best at a high level is no easy task, but Gonzalez has been doing it since he was a rookie.
Why Christian Gonzalez was Snubbed
The four defensive backs in the AFC that made the Pro Bowl were Marlon Humphrey, Derek Stingley Jr, Pat Surtain II, and Denzel Ward. Out of these four names, Stingley and Surtain are obvious selections. Both have been elite, shutdown corners this season and deserve their spot. But New England Patriots fans have questioned the selections of Humphrey and Ward. Pro Bowl voting has always had its flaws, and has at times, come down to popularity over statistics. Many Patriots fans believe this to be the case with the Pro Bowl selections.
One of the biggest reasons for Christian Gonzalez’s Pro Bowl snub was that he plays for the New England Patriots. The Patriots are currently slated to have the first overall pick in the NFL draft with an abysmal 3-13 record. They have one of the weakest rosters in the NFL outside of Christian Gonzalez, Drake Maye, and Christian Barmore. This, coupled with the fact that Gonzalez is only in his second season and not a household name yet, likely contributed to his snubbing. Christian Gonzalez responded to the snubbing by posting a laughing emoji on social media.
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