FOXBOROUGH — The New England Patriots will face the unbeaten Buffalo Bills without their top cornerback, as Christian Gonzalez has been officially ruled out with a shoulder injury sustained last week. The deactivation, confirmed Friday after Gonzalez missed the entire week of practice, forces New England to replace one of the best defenders in the NFL and its best overall player this season against MVP-caliber quarterback Josh Allen.
Head coach Mike Vrabel outlined a committee approach at Gillette Stadium on Friday to fill the void. "I think Charles [Woods] will get some snaps in there," Vrabel said during a press conference at Gillette Stadium on Friday. "We'll mix around some guys. Marcus [Jones] will play outside, inside a little bit. I think Karon [Prunty]'s done a really nice job on special teams and so if he's asked to play on defense, he'll be ready to go." Rookie cornerback Channing Canada is also questionable for the game with a hamstring injury.
Gonzalez's absence alters New England's coverage structure. The 2023 first-round draft pick, who became the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history last month, typically allows the Patriots to be aggressive with coverage and pressure calls with his ability to handle opposing wide receivers in 1-on-1 coverage and at a high level as a zone defender. "There might be specific things if he's not out there that maybe we do or don't do," explained defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr earlier this week. "You always have a plan in your mind for anybody. When we meet as a staff, every week — even Week 1 and we're fully healthy — it's like, 'Okay, what if so and so goes down? What are we thinking here? How are we going to adjust that? Who are we going to move here?' We talk about that every week, and you try to stay within the game plan you have in the week."
The secondary will also be without stalwart defensive tackle Christian Barmore, further testing depth against one of the league's top offenses. The locker room struck a confident tone despite the losses. "Gonzo's a playmaker for sure, so we know we're going to miss him out there. But we preach all the time, 'next man up,'" said Carlton Davis. "Charles Woods has been playing well every time he had to step in for one of us. We're going to trust him and go up to this game trying to win."