It’s simple, don’t throw the ball in Stephon Gilmore’s direction.
The New England Patriots cornerback is undoubtedly the best in the NFL right now and the numbers back him up. New England has a league-high 25 interceptions through 14 games, and Gilmore accounts for six of them — two resulting in touchdowns. He was named a Pro Bowler and First-Team All-Pro last season, and he has a solid chance of winning Defensive Player of the Year this season.
This passage by the Athletic’s Jeff Howe, gives great insight into Gilmore’s accomplishments this season through 14 games.
This season, Gilmore has allowed 24 catches on 66 targets (36.4 completion percentage) for 280 yards, no touchdowns and six interceptions for a 12.2 passer rating. He has returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns and has also broken up 14 passes, by and large taking the opponent’s best receiver in one-on-one coverage. Gilmore has allowed two or fewer receptions in 11 of 15 games, including three shutouts. By comparison, he entered the season with two shutouts in his first two years with the Patriots.
Here are three (out of many) stats that showcase Gilmore’s dominance.
This stat doesn’t correlate directly with Gilmore, but it’s a great representation of what him and the secondary have done for the 11-3 Patriots thus far.
