Malcolm Butler wasn’t surprised when Stephon Gilmore swatted away a Blake Bortles pass on fourth-and-15 to help send the New England Patriots to Super Bowl LII.
Why? Because he’d seen the cornerback make that exact same play before — against the Patriots.
“It reminded me of when he was with Buffalo and, I think, (former Patriots receiver) Brandon LaFell was going out for a pass,” Butler said after New England took down the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20 in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. “Same bat-down. That’s his signature move, I guess.”
One eagle-eyed Reddit user went back and identified the pass breakup Butler was referring to. It took place in Week 11 of the 2015 season, during a game between the Patriots and Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium, and the resemblance is uncanny.
Wow.
Gilmore signed a five-year, $65 million with the Patriots last spring after spending his first five seasons in Buffalo. After a slow start, he emerged as New England’s most consistent cornerback over the second half of the season and leads the team with four pass breakups through two playoff games.
He and Butler will play key roles next Sunday in the effort to slow down a Philadelphia Eagles team that put up 38 points and 352 passing yards in the NFC Championship Game.
