Tag: Stephon Gilmore

5 takeaways from Patriots’ bounce-back victory against Bengals

Here are five takeaways from the Patriots’ 34-13 victory against the Bengals.

The New England Patriots got a much-needed victory in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

There are still glaring vulnerabilities throughout the unit, but they’ve done enough to clinch the playoffs and enter the final weeks of the season with an 11-3 record. New England’s scary-good secondary showed why they’re among the best in the league, and the offense did just enough against the Bengals to get the job done — this has been the recurring theme all season.

Needless to say, the Bengals are now 1-13 and this isn’t a victory to boast about. The Patriots will see the Buffalo Bills in Week 16 and the Miami Dolphins during the final week of the season. They’ll have to play much better than they have in the past few weeks, but this game against the Bengals was a solid start.

Here are five takeaways from the game.

Stephon Gilmore is New England’s MVP this season

The Patriots have a league-high 25 interceptions this season and Stephon Gilmore is responsible for six of them.

He is undoubtedly the NFL’s best cornerback right now and he continues to make a case for Defensive Player of the Year. He added on to that case against the Bengals after recording two interceptions — one resulting in a pick-six. Gilmore told reporters after the game that he should’ve had three, maybe four interceptions.

Gilmore leads New England’s secondary and he’s the reason that they feel so comfortable playing man defense. He has changed the dynamic of this team, and the Patriots will need his continued excellence if they want to make a deep playoff run.

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9 things we learned from Week 15’s Sunday of the 2019 NFL season

With all but the Monday night battle between the Saints and Colts decided, here are nine things we learned from Week 15 of the 2019 season.

With all but the Monday night game between the Saints and Colts to be decided, here are nine things we learned from Week 15 of the 2019 NFL season.

The Black Hole went out not with a bang, but with a lot of boos

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

The Raiders started playing in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseumin 1966, played there until the 1982 season when they moved to Los Angeles, and returned to Oakland and their old home in 1995. The Coliseum has seen some of the greatest moments in NFL history, and some of the league’s worst football in the last days of Al Davis.

Sunday’s game against the Jaguars marked the final home game for the Oakland Raiders, who will become the Las Vegas Raiders next season. In the first half, the home team put up a 16-3 lead on the Jags, and it looked for a while as if Jon Gruden’s team would at least leave the crazies in the Black Hole with a few lovely parting memories.

Then, the Raiders’ defense did what it tends to do, and Jacksonville rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew threw two touhdown passes in the final 5:15 of the game. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr tried a miracle finish, but it didn’t work out.

And then, the inevitable booing and nacho-throwing in the wake of a 20-16 loss.

It’s sad that football in Oakland is coming to an end.

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Stephon Gilmore delivers hilariously cocky quote on his interception

Stephon Gilmore delivers on the field — and off it.

Stephon Gilmore delivers on the field and off it.

The New England Patriots cornerback put together an excellent, two-interception performance in the team’s Week 15 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Gilmore then put together a stellar performance at his locker after the game while meeting with the media. He had a handful of terrific quotes about his game.

When asked about his interceptions, he said: “Shoulda had three. Shoulda had four.” His second interception, meanwhile, went for a pick-six. When did Gilmore know he had a touchdown?

“As soon as he threw it,” Gilmore told reporters after the game, via The Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan.

How did those interceptions come together? Well, Gilmore recognized the routes from film study — and from earlier in the game.

“They’ve gotta switch the play up,” Gilmore said. “I don’t know. I’m not gonna say it was easy, but I knew the route, so …”

Gilmore also took to Twitter after the Patriots’ win, and said he was “best in the business” while sharing his pick-six. It was his sixth interception on the season. And the score created a fascinating statistic: Gilmore has officially scored more touchdowns than receivers have scored against him.

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This stat about Stephon Gilmore shows jaw-dropping domination in 2019

Stephon Gilmore is putting together a truly special season.

New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore is the best cornerback in football, in part because he’s often a better pass-catcher than the man he’s marking.

Gilmore, for example, managed his fifth and sixth interception of the season during the Patriots’ Week 15 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The first came on a one-handed snag on third down. His second came on the following drive (and Gilmore’s following target). Gilmore picked the ball, and returned it for a touchdown.

That score was meaningful not only for his team but also for his individual stats on the season. Gilmore has scored more touchdowns than the receivers he has covered in 2019 — a remarkable achievement.

The cornerback spent most of his game on receiver Tyler Boyd, though Gilmore rotated to Alex Erickson and other Bengals’ pass-catchers. Boyd finished with three catches for 26 yards. Andy Dalton didn’t have much success targeting the Patriots’ other cornerback, J.C. Jackson, who also had two interceptions on the game.

Gilmore is putting together a truly special season.

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Watch Stephon Gilmore’s absurd one-handed interception in Week 15

It’s probably Gilmore’s most impressive play of the season.

Stephon Gilmore continued to make a Pro Bowl campaign during the New England Patriots’ Week 15 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. In fact, Gilmore continued his case as the best cornerback in the NFL.

During the third quarter on Sunday, Gilmore managed an absurd one-handed interception on quarterback Andy Dalton. On a third-and-6, Dalton fired for receiver Tyler Boyd, but Gilmore was draped all over his mark. The pass was off-target, and Gilmore managed to pull in the ball with one hand for the interception, his fifth of the season.

New England’s offense made the Bengals pay for the mistake. Tom Brady linked up with N’Keal Harry for a touchdown on the ensuing drive.

It may be Gilmore’s most impressive play of the season.

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WATCH: Former Bills players Sammy Watkins, Stephon Gilmore fight

During the NFL’s Week 14 slate, the Kansas City Chiefs topped the Patriots in New England, 23-16.

During the NFL’s Week 14 slate, the Kansas City Chiefs topped the Patriots in New England, 23-16.

The battle, which involved some controversial calls that went against the Patriots, saw two former players with ties to the Buffalo Bills got into an interesting engagement. Those two were Sammy Watkins and Stephon Gilmore.

On one play during the contest, the receiver in Watkins, appear to block the defensive back in Gilmore of an extensive time. The two were locked up and carried their momentum into the sidelines where a scrum ensued.

Only the pair of former Bills first-round picks will truly know what was said, but neither appeared to be very happy about whatever happened on the play.

Speaking of which, here’s exactly what happened:

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What Bill Belichick wouldn’t say in Week 14 in preparation for Chiefs

Answering the tough questions Bill Belichick wouldn’t answer.

Bill Belichick didn’t mind discussing Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and the Kansas City Chiefs’ explosive offense. Though he failed to address the fact that they’re not that explosive in recent weeks.

The New England Patriots coach is preparing for an AFC Championship Game rematch with Kansas City. And as usual, he was ready to praise his opponent. He also discussed the strong work from his receivers Julian Edelman and Mohamed Sanu.

But just like every week, there were topics Belichick avoided as best he could. He dodged topics like the Patriots’ decision to go without a kicker this week. And he didn’t field a question about the Tom Brady drama or the Antonio Brown apology.

Here’s what Bill Belichick wouldn’t say in Week 14.

1. What’s going on with your kicker situation? Can you announce that you’re re-signing Nick Folk?

What he said Friday: “Nope.”

What we think he’s thinking: The Patriots have clearly expected all week that Nick Folk would be returning to the team. He was dealing with appendicitis and missed last week’s game. Perhaps the timeline for his return hit a snag, because they won’t be adding Folk on Saturday. But they will add Folk despite spending the week without a kicker, according to NFL Network. It would have been a truly Belichickian oddity for the Patriots head into one of the biggest matchups of the season without a kicker. He probably would’ve enjoyed the challenge.

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Stephon Gilmore jokes that playing WR doesn’t look that hard

Stephon Gilmore seems open to a position change.

New England Patriots top cornerback Stephon Gilmore seems open to a position change. He’s arguably playing like the best cornerback in the NFL, which means he’s making life difficult for receivers. Still, he playfully told 98.5 The Sports Hub that he doesn’t think receiver looks that hard to play.

Gilmore has played quarterback in high school and converted to cornerback in college. He’s never played receiver. But he said if coach Bill Belichick asked him to play receiver, he’d “do what’s best for the team.”

Before fans get too excited, I’ll say it: there’s no way Gilmore is converting to receiver. They like him where he is as a shutdown corner.

Even though the Patriots are in a tough situation at receiver and tight end, they are not going move Gilmore away from his natural position, where he has been outstanding. It is a funny concept to consider. Gilmore has four interceptions, and is running routes as well or better than the receivers he is covering. For example, Gilmore had more receptions (an interception) than Amari Cooper (2 targets, 0 catches) in their Week 12 matchup.

This is the time of year to tinker with a top cornerback. But during 2020 training camp, maybe they should give it a spin.

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Stephon Gilmore and DeAndre Hopkins exchange trash talk on Twitter

Their competition spirit has extended beyond the field.

Stephon Gilmore and DeAndre Hopkins put on a show during the Houston Texans’ 28-22 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 13.

With Gilmore in single coverage for most of the night, Hopkins put together a respectable performance with five receptions for 64 yards. (One of Hopkins’ receptions didn’t come with Gilmore in coverage.) It’s probably fair to call their 1-on-1 matchup a draw.

Still, Hopkins celebrated his performance on Twitter and showed a picture of him during a reception with Gilmore on the ground.

“When you see 10 double him,” Hopkins wrote on Tuesday.

That drew a response from Gilmore, who wanted to set the record straight. While Hopkins suggested he was drawing double coverage, that simply wasn’t true. The Patriots doubled Hopkins for just two of 56 snaps.

The problem with doubling Hopkins was that it opened up options for the rest of the Houston offense. So when New England put two defenders on the Texans’ star wideout, quarterback Deshaun Watson made them pay. He managed a touchdown on each snap that the Patriots had a double team on Watson.

Gilmore allowed a significant amount of yardage in the fourth quarter on a game-sealing touchdown drive. Surely, that didn’t help his or the Patriots case in logging a win. Still, Hopkins and Gilmore, both arguably the best at their position, put together a respectable performance on Sunday.

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NFL fans had questions after Stephon Gilmore fist-bumped a ref before Patriots-Texans

Here we go again …

NFL fans have never shied away from conspiracies when it comes to the Patriots and officials.

It’s nothing new. From an official telling Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan to “stay off Tom” to Tom Brady immediately greeting referee Clete Blakeman after winning the AFC championship in 2018 — fans love to point out the optics of referees scheming to help New England.

With that in mind, the Houston Texans did everyone a favor on Sunday in their 28-22 win over the Patriots. Because had the Patriots won that game, you just know that Stephon Gilmore’s pregame fist bump with an official would have been the latest NFL-Patriots conspiracy theory.

The NBC broadcast captured the moment as the Patriots were leaving the locker room at NRG Stadium. Side judge Boris Cheek was standing near the doorway as the New England players walked by him. Then, Gilmore reached out his fist to dap the official, and Cheek returned the gesture.

Sure, Cheek was probably just showing respect and thought little of the fist bump in the moment, but NFL fans certainly took notice.

It was inevitable. Perhaps Cheek should politely decline the fist bump next time — just a thought.

Thankfully, the Texans’ win put an end to the potential issue. Both the Patriots and Texans were called for eight penalties in the game, and Patriots were actually on the wrong end of a couple questionable no-calls.

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