Matthew Judon Commends Patriots Rookies, Calls One ‘Unbelievable’

FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots suffered a deflating and all-too-familiar 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

But there are multiple positives to be pulled from the season-opening effort at Gillette Stadium. Near the top of the list: The performances of three rookie defenders.

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez (first round), defensive lineman Keion White (second round) and safety/linebacker hybrid Marte Mapu (third round) all played well in their NFL debuts. The impressive trio was asked to do a lot against one of the league’s top offenses, and each player answered the call.

Gonzalez registered seven tackles, one sack and one pass breakup. Most importantly, he played solid coverage — primarily in zone — against star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. White didn’t record a tackle, but he had one pass breakup and generated multiple quarterback pressures. And Mapu, a positionless weapon, played all over the defense while recording three tackles.

Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon commended all three after the game.

“It’s a, ‘Welcome to the NFL’ (moment),” Judon said during a postgame news conference. “We knew when we drafted them, when we got them in here and actually put pads on, that they were really good players. I think for Gonzo, to go out there and play the way he played, for Keion to get in and play how physical he played, Marte was in the game, him making plays just kind of all over the field.”

Judon was especially impressed with Mapu, who continues to handle a workload large for any player, let alone a rookie from Sacramento State.

“I don’t really know Marte’s background too much,” Judon said. “I watched highlights and stuff, things like that. But, for him to be able to play linebacker, safety and outside linebacker, that’s kind of unbelievable, as a rookie. Those three guys had a lot of big plays. They handled it tonight exceptionally. They went out there and played their butts off.”

Though it’s unwise to read too much into Week 1, it’s hard to watch what the Patriots did Sunday night without believing they might have one of the better defenses in the NFL. Unlike other recent iterations, this group — which limited the Jalen Hurts offense to 4-of-13 on third downs — actually might be able to get off the field against good quarterbacks.

Furthermore, New England’s defense finally has an infusion of youth and athleticism that can make an immediate impact. And Gonzalez, White and Mapu are leading the charge.