Cowboys Coach Won’t Be Surprised If Patriots Rookie Draws This Challenge

Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb gave the New England Patriots fits when Dallas traveled to Gillette Stadium and earned an overtime victory two seasons ago. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick recalled the nine-catch, two-touchdown performance rather well.

"Lamb is dynamic, great, great receiver, obviously we had problems with him two years ago," Belichick told reporters before Wednesday's practice, per a team-provided transcript.

The Patriots, however, have a strength of their own this time around. Lamb, who felt good about winning his matchups against J.C. Jackson and Jalen Mills two seasons ago, is likely to see snaps against rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez when New England travels to AT&T Stadium on Sunday.

When asked Wednesday about the potential Gonzalez matches up with Lamb, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said he could envision New England using its first-round pick against the two-time Pro Bowl wideout. After all, Gonzalez has spent time in coverage against the best wideouts the Patriots have faced thus far.

"As a matchup player in their system, yeah, I would not be surprised if he follows CeeDee," McCarthy told reporters, per the team. "And if he's going to do that then, obviously, he'll be playing some inside."

New England selected Gonzalez at No. 17 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Oregon product has impressed many in the Patriots organization, and his Week 3 performance against the New York Jets earned plenty of praise from CBS Sports broadcaster Tony Romo and others.

Gonzalez allowed three catches for 18 yards while covering Jets star wideout Garrett Wilson, according to Patriots.com's Evan Lazar. And that performance came after Gonzalez held Miami Dolphins speedster Tyreek Hill without a catch on 17 routes.

#Patriots rookie CB Christian Gonzalez:

Philly
Brown - 19 routes, 4 catches, 47 yards
Smith - 11 routes, 2 catches, 22 yards, PBU

Miami
Hill - 17 routes, 0 catches on 2 targets, INT
Waddle - 4 routes, 1 catch, 15 yards

Jets
Garrett Wilson - 23 routes, 3 catches, 18 yards

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) September 25, 2023

Count McCarthy among those who have been impressed.

"Definitely an excellent, excellent prospect coming out," McCarthy recalled of the Oregon product. "I think he's off to a very good start to his career. I've been very impressed with his tape. He's extremely athletic, he's doing a good job with his hands and eyes playing their style of defense. So I've been very impressed with his play so far."

McCarthy, who serves as the Cowboys' play-caller on offense, will get another look at Gonzalez on Sunday. Dallas is a 7-point home favorite entering the Week 4 contest.