Tag: Stephon Gilmore

Winners and losers from Patriots’ defensive win over Cowboys

The defense was brilliant. The offense, however, put together was erratic.

Here are the winners and losers from the New England Patriots’ 13-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

Winner: Jamie Collins, LB

The linebacker was all over the field, with nine tackles.

There was a striking reminder of his impressive athleticism when he lined up in press coverage on receiver Randall Cobb. Collins was in charge of simply jamming Cobb at the line before dropping into zone coverage, but calling it a “jam” would be an understatement. The linebacker threw the receiver five yards in the wrong direction, which completely disrupted the route. On the stat sheet, Collins won’t get credit for the play — but it was a nice demonstration of how athletic linebackers can contribute in pass coverage.

But of course, his work in the run game was of the utmost importance. Ezekiel Elliott managed 4.1 yards per carry and 86 rushing yards, which is slightly down from his 4.3 yards per carry entering the game. Considering the Patriots defense looked vulnerable against the Ravens, they’ll take that small dip in production from Elliott. Collins also helped out to keep Prescott from scrambling. It was a well-rounded performance for the linebacker.

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Loser: Tom Brady, QB

During the third quarter, Brady left the field after a stalled drive, and chucked a ball at the ground on the sideline in frustration.

The Patriots quarterback started last week on a low note, with a sullen postgame press conference on Sunday and a frustrated conversation with WEEI Monday. Brady may not be much happier with his offense’s performance in Week 12. He wasn’t stellar, but he also got very little help in a game where the Patriots were without Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett. Even one of the most consistent men in the offense, James White, had issues with three targets and one reception for -6 yards. Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers all logged at least one drop.

Brady finished 17 of 36 for 190 yards and a touchdown. And the Patriots’ passing attack will need to keep tweaking their plan of attack to get more out of their star quarterback.

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6 things Patriots fans should know about the Cowboys

The Cowboys present the Patriots their toughest opponent at home so far.

The Dallas Cowboys are coming to Gillette Stadium this Sunday for a Week 12 matchup against the New England Patriots. It will be a battle between America’s Team (Dallas) and America’s Most Hate Team (New England). The Cowboys have won three of their last four games, scoring at least 35 points in all three of those wins. The Patriots vaunted defense will be battle-tested once again vs. one of the top offensive teams in the entire NFL.

Here are six things New England fans should know before kickoff:

1. Dak Prescott is legit.

Dak Prescott is enjoying the best season of his four-year career so far. Boasting a league-leading 3,221 passing yards through 10 games, Prescott is well on pace to break his previous career-best 3,885 passing yards from last season. He has thrown for at least 395 yards the last two weeks, with a 444-yard performance in Week 11 vs. Detroit.

Even though Prescott has already thrown nine interceptions, tied for fifth-most in the league, he is proving he’s more than capable of leading the Cowboys offense. Prescott owns a 21-to-9 touchdown-interception ratio.

2. Can Stephon Gilmore and the Patriots secondary shutdown the Dallas receiver unit?

A reason why Prescott is having so much success this season is because of the receivers he’s throwing to.

The Dallas receiver unit is explosive with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. The Cooper-Gallup combo is just one of three receiver-duos to find themselves in the top 20 for receiving leaders in the league. Cooper has the fourth-most receiving yards with 886 yards while Gallup is no. 20 with 678 yards. Both are big play threats, so Stephon Gilmore, Devin McCourty and the rest of the New England secondary should have their hands full trying to shut them down.

3. Add in Ezekiel Elliot and the Cowboys present the toughest opponent the Patriots have faced at home.

When the Cleveland Browns came to Gillette Stadium in Week 8 with Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr., and Nick Chubb, there was a lot of talk that they might have had what it took to beat the Patriots. It did not take long for those thoughts to be put to rest.

Dallas presents New England with its toughest test yet in Foxboro. Not only do the Cowboys have the best aerial attack in the league, they have a stud running back in Ezekiel Elliot. In his fourth season, Elliot has ran for 833 yards and seven touchdowns through Dallas’ first 10 games.

4. The Cowboys defense presents another top-10 defense for the Patriots offense.

Last week it was the Philadelphia Eagles and their no. 9 ranked defense that provided Tom Brady and the New England offense a challenge. The Dallas defense is even tougher, ranked seventh in the league in least yards allowed per game at 322.1. In addition, the Cowboys allow 19.7 points per game, good for ninth-least in the league.

Fortunately for the Patriots, Dallas middle linebacker Leighton Vander Esch has been ruled for Sunday. New England’s offensive line will have to stop another Cowboys middle linebacker in Jaylon Smith, who is tied for seventh in the league with 90 tackles. Defensive end Robert Quinn is another force amongst the defense, leading the team with 8.5 sacks.

5. When was the last time Dallas came to New England?

Like most NFC teams, it’s often quite some time that the Cowboys travel to Foxboro. The last time Dallas came to town was eight years ago when the Patriots beat them 20-16 in a Week 6 tilt.

Tony Romo, who is a lead commentator for CBS, was the Cowboys quarterback in the contest and outside of Tom Brady, the two rosters are mostly completely different.

6. Will Dallas finally beat the Patriots?

New England has won its last five games against the Cowboys, dating back to 1999. The last time Dallas won was in a 12-6 victory all the way back in 1996. Shockingly, the game featured the only remaining active NFL player from that game in 46-year-old kicker Adam Vinatieri.

5 key matchups to watch as Patriots host Cowboys

Stephon Gilmore vs. Amari Cooper, Patriots run defense vs. Ezekiel Elliot, Julian Edelman vs. Dallas zone defense, Isaiah Wynn vs. Robert Quinn, Bill Belichick vs. Cowboys talent

There will be a few key matchups to watch when the New England Patriots host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

1. Stephon Gilmore vs. Amari Cooper

Patriots All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore will likely shadow Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper all over the field. Gilmore referred to Cooper as one of the best receivers in the NFL this week.

“He’s at the top. He’s a great receiver,” Gilmore said. “He makes big catches, tough catches even when guys are covering him. He’s fast, quick. I mean, when you’re one of the best receivers in the league you can run every route and you can make everything look the same. So, it’s a big challenge for us and I’m looking forward to it.”

Cooper has 56 receptions for 886 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games this season. No matter who closely covered, Cooper is always on quarterback Dak Prescott’s radar, trusting him to make a play even when it looks like nothing is there.

Gilmore, however, how been equally impressive. He has three interceptions with 10 passes defensed and has not allowed a touchdown in coverage this year.

2. Julian Edelman vs. Cowboys zone defense

It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys stick with their usual zone defense in the secondary, despite the fact the Patriots could be thin at wide receiver depending on the availability of Phillip Dorsett (questionable) and Mohamed Sanu (questionable).

If the Cowboys stick with what they do and play zone, it could be a big day for receiver Julian Edelman. Quarterback Tom Brady and Edelman have frequently picked zone defenses apart as the tandem excels at finding the soft spot in the defense.

In addition to Edelman, rookie receiver N’Keal Harry, who has played in just one NFL game, could prove much more of a threat against zone defenses. While Harry could have trouble running routes against man-to-man coverage, finding a hole in the zone would likely be much easier.

3. LT Isaiah Wynn vs. DE Robert Quinn 

Coach Bill Belichick referenced the aggressiveness of the Cowboys mid-week. That aggressiveness is seen even more in pass-rush situations and Dallas has a core group of edge rushers that pressure quarterbacks quarterbacks with Robert Quinn (team-high 8.5 sacks) and Demarcus Lawrence (4.5 sacks) leading the charge.

Quinn, frequently on the right side, will provide a tough challenge for left tackle Isaiah Wynn, who is expected to start for the first time since Week Two.

Wynn held up well in his lone game against the Pittsburgh Steelers (including edge rushers T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree) in the Patriots season opener this year. But it will be interesting to see if there’s any rust to knock off in his first game since September.

Right tackle Marcus Cannon limiting Lawrence will be equally crucial.

4. Patriots run defense vs. Ezekiel Elliott

Belichick talked about the problems the Dallas offense presents. If the Patriots sell out to stop quarterback Dak Prescott and the passing game, running back Ezekiel Elliott is more than capable of beating them.

Elliott, of course, was the league’s rushing champion in both 2016 and 2018. He has 194 rushes for 833 yards (4.3 per carry) with seven touchdowns in 10 games this season.

Bottling up the run will be a crucial priority for defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler and Danny Shelton. The unit is coming off of a decent performances against Philadelphia last week, as the Eagles recorded the fifth most rushing yards against the Patriots this season (81).

Of course, the Patriots have also had their low moments allowing 210 rushing yards to the Baltimore Ravens, 159 to the Cleveland Browns, 145 to the Washington Redskins and 135 to the Buffalo Bills.

5. Bill Belichick vs. Cowboys talent

Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garett has a roster littered with talent. The Cowboys have offensive playmakers, a good offensive line and a crew of defensive standouts. But they haven’t always been able to put it together and a large part of that is coaching, and specifically Garrett.

It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys talent can/will make up for the Patriots advantage in coaching with Belichick.

Stephon Gilmore preparing for ‘one of the best receivers in the league’ in Amari Cooper

“He’s definitely at the top — one of the best receivers in the league.”

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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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5 Matchups to Watch in Cowboys-Patriots include Cooper-Gilmore, Lewis-Edelman

There’s plenty on the line for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12. We check out the matchups that should make all the difference.

With 22 players on the field for every play, save for the occasional mental lapses that leave 10 men on the field even when the middle linebacker notices it and refuses to call a timeout, a team sport can still be broken down into a series of individual matchups.

The Dallas Cowboys (6-4) will have their hands full when they travel to Foxboro, MA to take on the New England Patriots (9-1). It will be Dallas’ biggest game since their playoff ouster against the Rams last season and will be a true litmus test. The Cowboys have the second-best offense in the league and a suspect defense. The Patriots have the best defense in the league and a suspect offense.

Dallas’ defense has playmakers, the Patriots’ offense has Tom Brady. In other words, even the lesser parts can jump up and bite. There will be glorious matchups up and down the field, but here are a few we think fans should pay special attention to.

Jourdan Lewis vs Julian Edelman

Edelman remains Tom Brady’s best weapon, and as Jeff Cavanaugh of 105.3 The Fan points out, he’s not afraid to skirt the line between gritty and foul.

Lewis had already been starting for Anthony Brown before the latter was lost for the season with a triceps tear that required surgery. The former is the Cowboys’ best playmaker who is always near the action, and he’s a fiesty competitor as witnessed by the last-laugh culmination of a battle with a WR similar in stature and style to Edelman, Detroit’s Danny Amendola.

The two squared off in a couple sequences and things got testy along the way. That will probably be the storyline of this week’s matchup against the Super Bowl hero.

Amari Cooper vs Stephon Gilmore

When the Cowboys have the ball, getting it in the hands of Cooper is the No. 1 priority. He currently has 56 receptions for 886 yards and seven touchdowns and is on pace to break his career highs in each category if he can remain healthy for the remainder of the regular season. His 15.8 yards a reception is also a career high and it’s all based on an insane ability to to get open.

The difficult part is that Gilmore is probably the league’s best corner. Unlike Dallas’ No. 1 in Byron Jones, Gilmore travels all over the field to keep tabs on the opposition’s top target. NFL quarterbacks have just a 43.5 passer rating when throwing to a target covered by Gilmore.

There is hope, though. Marquis Brown only saw two targets against Gilmore in Week 9, but caught both. In Week 8, Odell Beckham, Jr. caught 4 of 6 targets for 49 yards and dropped another. Rookie Terry McLaurin got him for three receptions for 51 yards earlier in the year as well.

Gilmore’s true talent is shown by how QBs choose to go away from him, and that may still be Dak Prescott’s best option considering the high level of play out of both Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb.

The Patriots have the best defense, but they haven’t seen an attack the likes of what Dallas is bringing to the table.

Robert Quinn vs Marshall Newhouse

Quinn now has 8.5 sacks on the season after gathering another QB soul in the win over the Detroit Lions. He has been an absolute monster opposite DeMarcus Lawrence, who continues to be one of the most well-rounded, well-respected edge rushers in the game. Lawrence is the total package, Quinn is the true QB Hunter of the defense, and offenses tend to spend a lot of time focusing their efforts on both.

What you’re looking at above is a plotting of edge defenders. On the vertical you have Pass Rush Win Rate, a novel ESPN metric that measures how often a player wins his matchup within 2.5 seconds of the snap. Yes, that’s Quinn at the very top along with Pittsburgh’s TJ Watt (sigh).

But notice how far to the right Quinn is. The horizontal is about how often a player is being double-teamed. The Cowboys Lawrence is second only to the other Watt brother, JJ. Quinn is around seventh in that respect to.

Now for the other side of this matchup, Newhouse. He’s a turnstile.

Pro Football Focus has him as surrendering 29 pressures on the season, blaming him for six sacks of Brady along the way. Batter up.

Michael Bennett / Maliek Collins vs Shaq Mason/Joe Thuney/Ted Karras

While the edge players will be getting their work in and possibly require the Patriots to leave a tight end and/or a back in to block, the real battle should be in the middle of the line. New England has two very capable, very good guards flanking Karras, who is not very good at center. This means that the Cowboys front, which runs twists and games as much as anyone in the league, will look to get creative to get some singling up and try and collapse the pocket on Brady.

Bill Belichick vs Kellen Moore

The Cowboys are slow starters (Bobby Belt Tweet), and it’s time we recognize them for what their offense truly is, a prize fighter. You notice how when champions enter the ring, they spend time feeling their opponent out, to see what will work and what won’t, what the opponent is susceptible to?

That’s Moore’s offense.

Once Dallas figures out the way a defense has scripted their game plan, they’ve almost always been able to exploit that as the game went on.

It’s been true against every opponent in 2019 save for Dennis Allen’s Saints defense. Well, with all due respect to Allen, Belichick is in an entirely different world. It would behoov Dallas to take the gamble early and attack from the opening whistle to stretch the defense early and get the six-headed attack going in the passing game. Pass, pass, pass and then pass some more, and then when they finally give in, put Elliott and Pollard to work.

The Cowboys have an offensive EPA of 134.3 on the year, second-best in the league to the only team that was able to solve the Patriots defensive riddle, the Ravens. Their quarterback is a dual-threat, and while Prescott can run he doesn’t do it as a primary option very often. We’ll see if Moore borrows that from Baltimore’s plan of attack.

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Patriots offensive report card vs Eagles: Defense carries offense in win

Grading the Patriots defense after a physical win over the Eagles in Philadelphia.

The New England Patriots (9-1) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-5), 17-10, to keep their spot up top in the AFC playoff picture. Here are the grades for the Patriots defense.

Defensive Line

One of the underrated facets of New England’s awesome defense has been the play of the big boys up front — Lawrence Guy and Danny Shelton.

The man power behind these two behemoths was on display on Sunday, as each swallowed up any rushing lanes in the second half after Bill Belichick adjustments.

Both Shelton and Adam Butler added a sack each.

Grade: A

Linebackers

Kyle Van Noy and Dont’a Hightower each had a sack in exceptional performances, and Jamie Collins looked more like himself after a bad performance in Baltimore.

Elandon Roberts also added a sack and was a part of New England’s sound rush defense in the second half after some adjustments.

Grade: A-

Defensive Back

With not much time to work with, Carson Wentz had a rough night looking for open receivers.

With perhaps the NFL’s best one-two punch at tight end with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, the Patriots used a variety of different matchup assignments to stifle the Eagles.

Stephon Gilmore often guarded Zach Ertz on key third downs, which helped, and Jonathan Jones and Devin McCourty each had good games in coverage.

Jason McCourty shook off a horrendous two-play start to contribute with a formidable performance.

Grade: A-

5 takeaways from Patriots’ 17-10 win over Eagles

Here are five takeaways from the Patriots’ hard-fought win over the Eagles.

The New England Patriots are 9-1 this season, but they still have a ton of room for improvement as the postseason creeps up.

New England defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in a hard-fought 17-10 game. Tom Brady and the offense struggled mightily in the red zone and the defense had a tremendous bounce-back game. The only Patriots touchdown came from a double-pass trick play that was thrown by Julian Edelman. The rest of the points came from Nick Folk field goals — which was definitely a positive from this game.

Brady understands that this offense needs to crank it up a notch before the postseason begins and that the Patriots are currently playing through the most difficult stretch of the schedule. The next three games include the Dallas Cowboy, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs. It’ll be a test for this defense and it’ll give the offense a playoff atmosphere to prepare for the postseason.

Here are five takeaways from the game.

Tom Brady has been trending in a negative direction

Either Brady’s age or the lack of protection has led to a steady decline in production for the 42 year old quarterback. With the combination of his 21 incompletions and inability to score in the red zone, Brady has relied heavily on the defense to bail him out.

Brady started off the first five games with ten touchdowns and one interception — he’s had four touchdowns and three interceptions in his last five games. The level of competition likely played a factor, and he’s also without key offensive linemen and his critical blocker with James Develin.

He was visibly frustrated in his press conference after the game and Brady is conscious of the fact that the offense isn’t clicking right now. It doesn’t help that the rushing attack has been non-existent so far this season and that the receiving corps continues to change. N’Keal Harry had a positive debut game for the Patriots and his presence along with Mohamed Sanu should play a huge role heading into the postseason.

Whether it’s Brady’s age or the lack of protection, Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels have limited time to find a solution.

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Seeing Zach Ertz cry to refs on film gave Stephon Gilmore added confidence

Stephon Gilmore throws a little shade at Zach Ertz after the game.

New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore saw something on game film that gave him supreme confidence in his matchup against Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz.

Gilmore spotted Ertz “crying” to referees in a previous game, according to NESN’s Doug Kyed. Gilmore said after the Patriots’ 17-10 win on Sunday that emotional outburst was reason enough for the cornerback to believe he could get the tight end rattled. While Gilmore handled coverage duties on a number of different Eagles’ pass-catchers on Sunday, he moved to coverage on Ertz on third downs to take away quarterback Carson Wentz’s go-to target in those situations.

The results were good: the Patriots held the Eagles to just 10 points. The Eagles were just 3 of 13 on third downs. Ertz, meanwhile, enjoyed a nice night (9 catches, 94 yards), though his successes came mostly without Gilmore in coverage.

Gilmore, of course, saw more than just emotional appeals to offcials during his film study — the cornerback is a film junkie, and is extremely thorough. He explained what his plans were for his matchups with Ertz, who is an unusual matchup for Gilmore, a cornerback that has spent the entire season on top receivers.

“He’s a tight end. He’s not as fast as some of the guys I cover. If he has a step on me, I can recover real fast. I’ve got to slow myself down a little bit to play him tighter, because I’ve been playing faster guys. So that’s what I did,” Gilmore told reporters, adding that he tried to avoid a physical battle with Ertz, via CLNS’s Evan Lazar. “You’ve got to let him run, because if you fight too physical with him, he’s going to push off. That’s what he’s good at, so you’ve got to be smart.”

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Why best friends Stephon Gilmore, Alshon Jeffery fought every day in college

Their fighting was a routine. Coaches didn’t even bother breaking them up.

Stephon Gilmore and Alshon Jeffery kicked off the one-on-one drills during a practice at South Carolina in 2011. They always did this. They were probably the two of the best players on that roster, and they relished the chance to compete against each other.

A quarterback tossed a go route. It was a hotly contested ball, and both players went to the ground. They always did this. The rest of the team looked at the next matchup, which was underway. But then they realized Gilmore and Jeffery were still in the way. They were on the ground fighting — over the football. Why did they always do this?

“No one ever went over there to break it up, because we knew they wouldn’t fight for long. They went at it tooth and nail, just like it was a bitter rivalry,” said Ellis Johnson, who is the former assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at South Carolina. “No one was ever worried about it, because they’d go back to the locker room together.”

Gilmore and Jeffery, who both coincidentally speak at a barely audible whisper, started at South Carolina in the same year and declared for the draft in the same year (2012). When they enrolled in 2009, they were two of the best players in the state of South Carolina, and they both had attended high schools with great sports programs, with Gilmore winning a state championship in football and Jeffery winning in basketball. They were assigned to room with each other, and the cornerback and wide receiver became best friends. Jeffery would be a groomsman in Gilmore’s wedding in 2014. Gilmore was probably more college-ready, excelling as the top cornerback from Day 1. Jeffery was probably more pro-ready, notching 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns in his second season.

They were also long, lean and outstanding athletes, who made for a perfect matchup on the Gamecocks’ practice field. That’s where they came to hate each other. Gilmore remembered looking forward to those matchups against the young man who was like a brother. And like brothers, they were hazardous to each other’s health, at times.

“I hated it when he caught balls on me, and he hated it when I beat him,” Gilmore told Patriots Wire last year. “We got in a fight pretty much every day. But we were cool after. It just made us a lot better going against elite talent.”

They never quite worked things out in practice. Those matchups remained fierce. But their chemistry wasn’t stunted. Gilmore had been a prolific quarterback in high school. He went into the game in a 2009 win over Clemson and can still remember the play clearly: The defense was expecting a running play, so he knew he and Jeffery had them fooled before the snap. Gilmore faked a run up the middle before dropping back to throw a deep ball for Jeffery. If Gilmore had been in coverage, perhaps the ball would have fallen incomplete. But they linked up for a 39-yard gain. A year later, they’d connect again for a 29-yard catch.

They could work together on the field. But perhaps they preferred to work against each other.

“Anytime you have that talent on the same team, it can bring a lot out of you,” Gilmore said.

Surely, their matchups were formative as they both prepared for the NFL. Gilmore was the 10th overall pick in 2012, Jeffery the 45th overall. They have had prolific careers, with Jeffery logging five seasons with 800 receiving yards or more and Gilmore making two Pro Bowls and nabbing his first Defensive Player of the Month award this October. He should be a front-runner to win Defensive Player of the Year, too.

Gilmore can no longer count the number of matchups he’s had with Jeffery, but the cornerback has spent this week studying their most monumental matchup: Super Bowl LII. Jeffery and the Eagles defeated Gilmore’s Patriots — though Gilmore didn’t allow Jeffery to catch a single pass against him. New England started the game with cornerback Eric Rowe on Jeffery, but when the wideout quickly managed three catches for 73 yards and a touchdown, the Patriots made the switch and reunited Gilmore with his old friend — and, simultaneously, his longstanding bitter rival.

“I couldn’t let him have no bragging rights against me. Little flashbacks (to South Carolina). It was fun,” Gilmore said. “It’s a hard one. Sometimes it don’t go your way, but it’s all love. I’m happy for him. He talked a little trash, but it’s all love.”

He added: “You watching the game and you’re learning from it. … It’s not a good feeling. There’s nothing you can do about it. Just try to not let it happen again, not lose again.”

Gilmore and Jeffery seemed to have a few traditions as friends, like taking the first one-on-one every day at South Carolina. Another one: They don’t talk in the week leading up to a matchup. During Super Bowl week in February 2018, they didn’t call, didn’t text and didn’t speak.

“I haven’t talked to him this week,” Jeffery told reporters in Minnesota. “I’m pretty sure he feels the same way. It’s nothing on purpose. I play for the Eagles. Ain’t no friends. None of that. It is what it is.”

So as they prepare for another matchup, the tradition is back on.

“Not this week, no not this week,” Gilmore said when asked about communicating with Jeffery. “This week I’m just trying to go there and compete against them.”

Jeffery is slogging his way through a down year of production (34 catches, 353 yards, 3 touchdowns), and missed practices with an ankle injury this week. Gilmore, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Perhaps this time, the matchup doesn’t look quite as even as it did in 2009 or in Super Bowl LII. Still, if Gilmore is assigned to cover Jeffery, it’s easy to imagine eyes naturally straying to their contest, which may look a bit like a fight between brothers.

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This insane statistic puts perspective on Patriots’ lockdown secondary

Here’s a disclaimer for NFL teams: Don’t throw a deep ball against the New England Patriots. 

Here’s a disclaimer for NFL teams: Don’t throw a deep ball against the New England Patriots.

Through nine games this season, opposing quarterbacks have a 13.3 passer rating while throwing 21 yards or more in the air, H/T Boston Globe’s Ben Volin. New England has more interceptions (7) than opposing teams have completions (5) when throwing for more than 21 yards.

The second-best team in this category is the Buffalo Bills, who have kept opposing quarterbacks at a 40.6 passer rating. But, they’ve only had 20 pass attempts against them, compared to New England with 44 pass attempts. The Patriots have the No. 2 pass defense in the league currently with 150.2 passing yards allowed per game.

The secondary is primarily composed of Stephon Gilmore, Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, J.C. Jackson, Pat Chung and Duron Harmon. Devin leads the group with five interceptions and Gilmore is second in the unit with three.  New England has a league-high 19 interceptions through nine games and the second-best team has 14.

The Patriots have accumulated a league-high 270 yards from interceptions along with two touchdowns. They’ve been able to create great field position for the offense, while helping hold opposing offenses to an average of 10.9 points per game.

New England struggled against the Baltimore Ravens in a Week 9 loss, but it was mostly due to the run defense. Baltimore had 210 rushing yards against the Patriots and only 162 passing yards.

This secondary has some talented quarterbacks ahead of them with Carson Wentz, Day Prescott, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. It would be an incredible feat if the Patriots could keep these numbers up for the entirety of the season.

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