The New England Patriots taking on the Green Bay Packers in Week 9 was supposed to be one of the most exciting games of the season. But early in the first quarter, the Patriots realized that this was going to be a beating for the ages as Jordan Love took advantage of turnovers to give his team an early lead.

New England’s 45–27 defeat featured problems on both sides of the ball, including three interceptions from Drake Maye and a disastrous performance by the secondary.

Christian Gonzalez drew particularly sharp criticism, including from Hall of Fame cornerback Ty Law.

Christian Gonzalez Feeling the Heat After Week 9 Dud

Green Bay piled up 501 yards of offense, including 372 through the air, as Jordan Love repeatedly exposed New England’s secondary in the Packers’ 45–27 victory.

The Packers’ two leading receivers, Matthew Golden and Christian Watson, had monster outings as they combined for 17 catches and 335 yards with two touchdowns, with the Patriots’ secondary offering virtually no resistance.

For Law, who won three Super Bowls with the franchise, the fault lay with Gonzalez.

“First of all, let me say, I’m a Christian Gonzalez fan,”Law confessed while making an appearance on “WEEI.” “I just expect more out of him. I see the talent, the athleticism, the size; he has all the intangibles to be exactly who he is being paid to be.”

This offseason, Gonzalez signed a four-year, $135 million extension that made him the then-highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Law, who once signed the largest contract for a cornerback in 1999, certainly knows the expectations that come with it.

Gonzalez, though, hasn’t performed at the level a lot of people expected this season. Even though the Patriots have been a strong defensive unit as a whole, Gonzalez ranks #82 inPFN’s Cornerback Impact Metric.

Law believes the Patriots need more from their superstar. “I have never been part of a situation in my 15-year career that a secondary played that bad, and when you got $50 million a year worth of cornerbacks, that’s unacceptable.”

According to Next Gen Stats, Gonzalez allowed 10 receptions for 187 yards when covering Golden and Watson. He became the first defender in the tracking era, dating to at least 2018, to surrender more than 80 receiving yards to two different players in the same game.

Law, though, made it clear that he wasn’t trying to take a shot at Gonzalez.

“You’ve got the bag, you’ve got to play better. And it wasn’t just the coverage. It started carrying over to the tackling and willingness to tackle and things like that. So I’m just seeing a lot of things that are not right when it comes to the New England Patriots’ secondary. So where’s the leadership? Where’s the communication?”

Gonzalez also acknowledged his struggles following the defeat, admitting that Green Bay had gotten the better of him. The cornerback said he was frustrated with his performance but understood that difficult games were part of football.

It remains to be seen if the backlash from fans and even some franchise legends sparks some change for the Patriots.

At 5-4, they are still in the thick of the playoff race. But if they wish to make another deep run this postseason, they’ll need their star players to play like it, and Gonzalez is going to be a big part of that equation.