Is Christian Gonzalez Playing Today? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Texans vs. Patriots)

New England Patriots star cornerback Christian Gonzalez suffered a concussion in the team's wild card round win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but he is on track to play in the divisional round against the Houston Texans.

Gonzalez, who was a full participant in practice late in the week, has cleared concussion protocol and is not listed on the team's final injury report. That's great news for the Patriots, as the former first-round pick is one of the top shutdown corners in the NFL.

Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez has cleared the concussion protocol and is expected to play Sunday versus the Texans.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 16, 2026

On top of that, the Patriots won't have to face Houston's No. 1 wide receiver in this game, as Nico Collins -- who also suffered a concussion in the wild card round -- has been ruled out for this matchup.

The Patriots are three-point favorites at home in the latest odds at DraftKings for this game, and they are -175 on the moneyline to win and advance to the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos.

As of Sunday morning, New England is favored to reach the Super Bowl out of the AFC, sitting at +450 to win the Super Bowl while Houston (+750) and Denver (+1000 after Bo Nix's season-ending injury) are well behind.

Gonzalez's return is a big part of that, as he's helped the New England defense rank 11th in the NFL in EPA/Pass this season.

The 2023 first-round pick appeared in 14 games in the regular season, racking up 69 tackles, one tackle for loss and 10 passes defended while playing 91.2 percent of the team's defensive snaps. He had two passes defended in the wild card win over L.A. last weekend.

In the 15 games (including playoffs) that Gonzalez has appeared in this season, the Patriots have a 14-1 record.

They'll look to win and cover against Houston Sunday to punch their ticket into the AFC title game next Sunday.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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