Coming off consecutive road losses to the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore wasn’t about to hold a Pro Bowl acceptance ceremony at his locker Wednesday afternoon. Gilmore was grateful for the honor, but he’s on to Week 16 when the Patriots will hope to beat his former team, the Buffalo Bills, in a quest to finish the last two weeks of the season strong.
Gilmore, along with quarterback Tom Brady, was one of just two Patriots selected for this year’s Pro Bowl.
Gilmore absolutely deserves the recognition. He consistently shadows and gets the better of No. 1 wide receivers. Gilmore is Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked cornerback this season, allowing just 38 catches on 77 targets for 436 yards with five touchdowns, two interceptions and a 77.6 passer rating.
That passer rating is worse than Blake Bortes’ 81.9 this season to give you some context.
Gilmore’s 15.2 cover snaps per reception ranks ninth among qualified cornerbacks, his .75 yards per cover snap ranks sixth, and his 7.5 cover snaps per target ranks 21st. His passer rating allowed is 14th in the NFL.
And Gilmore isn’t covering schlubs. He’s matched up against the Houston Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Sammy Watkins, the Chicago Bears’ Allen Robinson, the Green Bay Packers’ Davante Adams, the Minnesota Vikings’ Stefon Diggs and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown. He allowed 13 catches on 26 targets for 112 yards with an interception against those receivers. It’s safe to say he plays up to his competition.
Because, oddly enough, Gilmore had more struggles against lesser receivers. He allowed touchdowns this season to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Donte Moncrief, the Detroit Lions’ Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones, the Tennessee Titans’ Corey Davis and the Miami Dolphins’ Brice Butler. Among those receivers, Gilmore only shadowed Davis in the corner’s worst game of the season. He let up six catches on eight targets for 98 yards with a touchdown in that game.
Gilmore plays his best football when he knows his matchup and carries it out throughout a game. Perhaps the biggest improvement he made over the last two seasons is in his ball skills. Gilmore ranks second in the NFL with 18 pass breakups. He also has two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
There’s a reason NESN.com didn’t write a “Patriots Pro Bowl snubs” column this season. We think Gilmore and Brady were really the only deserving candidates. We wouldn’t have been up in arms if guards Shaq Mason and Joe Thuney, center David Andrews, defensive end Trey Flowers, safety Devin McCourty or special-teamer Matthew Slater were voted into the game, but we also weren’t ready to pound the table for them. Brady, even in a down season, has been the Patriots’ best offensive player. Gilmore has been their best and most consistent defensive player. And their special teams probably hasn’t been good enough to deserve a Pro Bowl selection.
Gilmore has come a long way since his performance in the first four weeks of the 2017 season made him a pariah. It’s clear now the March 2017 high-priced signing by Bill Belichick that caught everyone by surprise was a savvy move, as Gilmore continues to help Belichick achieve his goal of eliminating the opponent’s best weapons.
