New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore went from the team’s biggest strength to one of their biggest weaknesses in a Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Gilmore was a leading candidate to be the Defensive Player of the Year, but receiver DeVante Parker will likely play a surprisingly large role in depriving the cornerback of that award. Gilmore had been the league’s best cornerback until Week 17 and until his matchup against Parker. The wideout, who has been on a hot streak in recent weeks, finished Week 17 with eight catches for 137 yards.
“He made some plays,” Gilmore said after the game when asked about their matchup. “It is what it is. I can handle it. I know what kind of player I am. I know I just have to go back to the practice field and practice hard and get ready for the game.”
Because the Patriots lost, they slipped from the second seed to the third in the AFC playoff standings. That means they will play in the wild card round, instead of enjoying a first-round bye. Gilmore said they “have to” turn the page: “Gotta move on.” But, of course, they’re moving on much quicker than they’d probably anticipated, as they were favored to beat the Dolphins and get a first-round bye. The Patriots will host one of the following three teams next weekend: the Tennessee Titans, the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Oakland Raiders.
“Just got to suck it up,” Gilmore said. “I don’t know who we play next week. Just got to go back and practice hard and correct the things we didn’t do right.”
Gilmore probably has more corrections on his plate this week than at any point this season. He had been brilliant, and one of the most important elements for New England’s defense finishing the year with a historically impressive year. This matchup against Parker was a stunner, considering Gilmore shut the receiver out completely in Week 2 when the Patriots won, 40-0.
“Tough pill to swallow. They had the better day today,” Gilmore said. “(Parker) made big catches. Made some tough plays. He had the better day today.”
All but one of Parker’s catches went for a first down, even if both of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s third-down targets for Parker went incomplete. Four of Parker’s catches went for over 20 yards. It was the kind of performance entirely alien to Gilmore. That extended to the Patriots defense as a whole, which had been solid in just about every game this year — particularly against lesser offenses like the Dolphins. Gilmore was asked if he’s confident the team can turn thing around.
“Yeah, I do. Hard-working group,” Gilmore said. “It didn’t go the way we wanted it to. They were the better team. But I’m confident in everybody.”
