Mike Vrabel noticed a difference in his cornerback about eight weeks ago.
Christian Gonzalez had the biggest play of his career on Sunday when he intercepted Jarrett Stidham late in the fourth quarter to help lift the Patriots to 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos and punch New England’s ticket to Super Bowl 60.
The interception came after Gonzalez was beat earlier in the game by Marvin Mims Jr. on a deep ball from Stidham that led to a Broncos touchdown.
“It just says that he’s been playing really really good football and sometimes you get beat. The best ones do,” coach Mike Vrabel said after the game.
Vrabel said he noticed “a different Gonzo” about 6-8 weeks ago, perhaps when New England played the Baltimore Ravens.
“Something went off,” Vrabel said. “It changed.”
Gonzalez missed the first three games of the season with a hamstring injury. The cornerback didn’t have an interception in the regular season — or the first two playoff games — but continued to make a difference on the field in other ways.
But with 2:18 to go, the field covered in snow and the weather being blizzard conditions, that changed.
“I just saw the ball, I didn’t even see the snow,” Gonzalez said. “I was off and saw the ball and at that point, it’s like I’m playing receiver again.”
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Category: General Sports