Many are seeing the upcoming AFC Championship game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots as the “Battle of Cornerbacks” between Patrick Surtain ll and Christian Gonzalez.
Both the young cornerbacks have taken the league by storm this season and they are attracting plenty of attention before the matchup at Mile High on Sunday.
Patrick Surtain II vs Christian Gonzalez: Who Is Better?
There’s no simple answer to this.
Patrick Surtain has played 15 games this season, allowing only 55.6% of receptions of thrown towards him. He broke up nine passes, recorded 41 tackles, one interception, allowed 347 yards and missed nine tackles.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton has said multiple times the importance of the cornerback in the team’s defense not only in the field but also in the lockerroom.
“I think his presence in the room,” Payton said in November. “You have to know this. You have to pry words from Pat to begin with. (Laughs) I think any of these guys that miss time are still involved in the meetings. That presence in the meeting would be the same whether they’re playing or not. So certainly it’s great to get someone like him back in the lineup and ready to go.”
On the other hand Christian Gonzalez played 16 games, allowing 44.8% receptions. He broke up 10 passes, recorded 66 tackles, allowed 424 yards and missed just one tackle.
Meanwhile, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has praised Gonzalez for his engagement and leadership inside the lockerroom.
“I do like where he’s at from an engagement standpoint,” Vrabel said in September. “We’ve been through this with other players, and I like where he’s at from that standpoint. In the meetings, locked in, following along at practice, which is difficult. To think that a player that’s not in there can follow along, I’ve been through that as a player and a coach, and I think he’s done a nice job of being able to do that.”
Statistically, Gonzalez sounds slightly better, but the cornerback position is much more complicated to evaluate than just mere stats.
Surtain entered the season as the No. 1 cornerback, voted by executives, coaches and scouts in pre-season surveys. He won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award last season. On top of that, he’s a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler multiple times.
The quarterbacks have generally feared to throw towards Surtain because of his elite coverage, size, speed, instincts, tackling and ball skills.
As for Gonzalez, he didn’t enter the season with the same level of expectations as Surtain but still proved to be a top-tier cornerback. He has previously received Second-team All-Pro honors. In video game ratings, he comes behind Surtain.
Sunday’s showdown could maybe give us a clear picture to that question.
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