by Patriots-Cardinals Stock Watch: Gonzalez a bright spot in Pats loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Not much went well for the New England Patriots on Sunday as they suffered their fourth straight loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
In the 30:17 defeat, Jerod Mayo’s group failed to convert a third deficit (0:6). The offensive play calls were a headache throughout the game and became even more problematic when Mayo appeared to call out offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in his postgame press conference.
Defensively, the Patriots allowed Cardinals running back James Conner to rush for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, including a 53-yarder. And although Pats second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez shut down Arizona’s prized rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the defense allowed tight end Trey McBride to haul in a game-high nine receptions for 87 yards.
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It was another disappointing day for New England, which now has a record of 3-11 heading into its Week 16 showdown with the Buffalo Bills. Ahead of this match, our Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry shared their “Stock Down” and “Stock Up” picks from Sunday’s loss to Arizona:
Inventory decreased
Kyle Dugger, S
Curran: “He had 10 tackles, but again, the safety play wasn’t good enough for the Patriots.”
Jabrill Peppers, S
Perry: “I would put Jabrill Peppers there just because he was there on the 53-yard run that hurt them early.”
Jahlani Tavai, LB
Perry: “I think when it comes to setting those fronts and giving up some big runs, he just seemed like a step back too many times for me.”
Others receiving votes: Offensive linemen Vederian Lowe, Ben Brown and Layden Robinson.
Stock up
Christian Gonzalez, CB
Perry: “Great job on Marvin Harrison Jr. He just completely dominated him. There wasn’t even any competition between the two. I think he had three pass breakups.”
Antonio Gibson, RB
Curran: “My value on Antonio Gibson has increased significantly. I love him. I just think he’s a great contributor and hopefully the Patriots get him back.”
