The Patriots will have to wait another week before their top defensive player makes their season debut.

Christian Gonzalez has been downgraded to out for Sunday’s game against the Steelers due to his hamstring injury, the team announced Saturday.

The All-Pro cornerback was initially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel suggesting that Gonzalez would be a game-time decision to play against the Steelers.

“We listed him as limited, which means that he did some work, and we’ll still kind of evaluate where he’s at towards closer to the game,” Vrabel told reporters on Friday. “So again, it was good to see him out there. It’s very good to have him out there, and the more guys we can get out there, the better.”

Gonzalez returned to practice for the fir

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