Stephon Gilmore’s outstanding season helped the New England Patriots secondary emerge as one of the league’s best.
While the team’s sack leader, Trey Flowers, had just 8.5, the Patriots managed to keep coverage tight in the secondary while forcing incompletions. Pro Football Focus, a digital scouting service, credit the Patriots with a league-high 87 forced incompletions. What’s more, cornerback Stephon Gilmore had 18 pass breakups with five more than any other defensive back in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
Gilmore finished the season as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. He served mostly in man defense during 2018, and took on DeAndre Hopkins, Antonio Brown, Davante Adams and Keenan Allen. Even with challenging assignments against some of the league’s top pass-catchers, Gilmore was a shutdown cornerback. But Gilmore’s successes weren’t limited to man coverage. He also excelled in zone, including during the Super Bowl when the team shifted the scheme dramatically.
