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Stephon Gilmore’s matchup draws intrigue every week. The New England Patriots cornerback is one of the best players at his position, if not the best. It would be hard to miss his assignments against stars like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Odell Beckham Jr. and Zach Ertz — except that Gilmore typically shuts down his opponent, which means the tandem creates little action during the game.
But perhaps Gilmore will get tested on Sunday in Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium. Quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver Amari Cooper are putting together excellent seasons, and Cooper seems likely to draw coverage from Gilmore.
“He’s a great receiver,” Gilmore said. “He can run every route. He’s strong after the catch. He makes big catches. He’s definitely at the top — one of the best receivers in the league.”
In particular, Prescott and Cooper are excelling at attacking the outside of the field. Prescott has a 116.1 passer rating when attacking the boundary (just a few yards from the sideline), the best sum in the league. That has led to Cooper being the best boundary receiver in the league. Meanwhile, the Patriots allow a league-best 41.8 completion % on passes to the boundary. It’s a lot of superlatives. But you get it: the matchup should be a superb challenge for both teams.
“He makes big catches, tough catches, even when a guy’s covering him,” Gilmore said of Cooper. “He’s fast, quick. When you’re one of the best receivers in the league, you can run every route and make everything (look) the same. … He makes everything look like a go ball, then chops his route off. He makes everything look the same, and he has a good quarterback (Dak Prescott) who’s throwing him the ball that makes him better. I’m looking forward to it.”
Bill Belichick seems to have circled the matchup between Cooper and the cornerback in coverage (presumably Gilmore). The Patriots coach clearly respects how dangerous Cooper can be to an opposing defense, especially considering the boost Cooper brought to the Cowboys offense since joining Dallas in a trade midseason last year.
“Statistically, what they’ve done in the passing game since they’ve gotten him — I’m not saying that’s the only thing, but he’s certainly a big part of it. You can start with him,” Belichick said. “He’s got great speed, he’s a big-time vertical threat, run-after-the-catch is very good. He’s a sharp route-runner, he can get in and out of cuts. He’s a tough guy to cover, got a great quarterback, good offensive system. He can kill you on short catch-and-run plays. He can run all the intermediate routes, which are hard to cover, and he can certainly kill you down the field in single coverage on the outside or on inside routes if you don’t have a middle-of-the-field defender. And he’s got a quarterback who can get him the ball in all of those situations very accurately.”
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