FOXBOROUGH — Prior to last weekend’s win over the Jets, Jerod Mayo issued a challenge to Christian Gonzalez. His play against the Jaguars in London had been subpar by Gonzalez’s standards, and Mayo needed the young Patriots cornerback to rebound with a strong performance against New York.

“He’s always going to go against the other team’s No. 1,” Mayo acknowledged on the SportsHub pregame show. “He’s one of those guys that we expect a shutdown game. Hopefully we get that (against the Jets).

Gonzalez responded in a big way.

Tasked with All-Pro Davante Adams for much of the afternoon, the second-year cornerback blanketed him, pitching a shutout in man coverage. When Aaron Rodgers looked Adams’ way on a gotta-have-it third down in the fourth quarter, Gonzalez had perfect position on a slant and swatted the pass away.

“I love when I get a challenge,” Gonzalez said. “(Mayo) challenged me, but it’s more on me. Regardless if he challenged me or not, I still gotta go into the game knowing I’m going to be challenged from the other team.”

As he continues to grow in his second season, Gonzalez says he’s relishing the opportunity to match up with No. 1 wide receivers on a week-in, week-out basis.

“I love it,” Gonzalez said. “That’s the only way to get better. Go up against the best, and you’re gonna see the best every week. They’re NFL-caliber receivers, so you’re always gonna see a great receiver. It’s a lot of fun. It only makes me better.”

Gonzalez will likely be tasked with another strong wideout this weekend in Calvin Ridley, who the Patriots pursued aggressively in free agency last spring. After a slow start to his Titans career, Ridley went off last weekend, catching 10 passes for 143 yards in a blowout Loss to the Lions.

“He’s a go-to guy,” defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington said on Thursday. “When you turn on the tape from last week, it’s about getting Calvin Ridley the ball… he’s a complete receiver where you can line him up anywhere on the field and he can separate and get the ball when it’s in the air.”

In Ridley, Gonzalez sees a “ballplayer” who runs great routes. It’ll probably be on New England’s No. 1 cornerback to mirror those routes once again on Sunday afternoon.

“For me, what Gonzo’s doing is what we fully expected him to do,” Mayo said. “He’s a quiet guy, but he’s a competitor.”