New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez will have his hands full during a marquee matchup that could sway Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks.<\/p>\n
New England\u2019s red-hot defense must find ways to slow down Jaxon Smith-Njigba at Levi\u2019s Stadium. The 23-year-old has blossomed into arguably the NFL\u2019s best wide receiver during his third season, leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez looked ahead to his matchup against the fellow Pro Bowler when speaking to reporters<\/a> on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cAmazing receiver,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cCan run every route in the route tree. They do a real good job of getting him the ball, and he\u2019s a competitor. He loves the competition. It\u2019s going to be fun. It\u2019s going to be fun to see him and his whole offense. They\u2019re the other best team.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith-Njigba tallied the NFL\u2019s fourth-most catches (119) during the regular season, and his 79 first downs trailed NFC West rival Puka Nacua by one for the NFL lead. The former Ohio State star hasn\u2019t slowed down in the playoffs, scoring a touchdown in each win and registering 153 yards in an NFC Championship Game triumph over the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n JSN is now 35 away from joining Nacua and Cooper Kupp as the third player to register a 2,000-yard receiving season, playoffs included. Gonzalez and the Patriots still shouldn\u2019t mind if he settles for that modest number in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n