Stephon Gilmore began his Panthers tenure on a high last weekend when he corralled a game-sealing interception in Carolina’s divisional win over the Atlanta Falcons.
ESPN believes the veteran cornerback will make it two picks in as many games Sunday when Gilmore goes up against a very familiar opponent.
The Panthers are set to host the New England Patriots, who traded Gilmore to Carolina in early October. Tasked with making a bold prediction for this Week 9 matchup, ESPN’s Mike Reiss set the expectation for Gilmore to figure into a defensive slugfest at Bank of America Stadium.
“Panthers cornerback Stephon Gilmore will pick off Jones in his first game against his old team, and the kickers — New England’s Nick Folk and Carolina’s Zane Gonzalez — will ultimately be the top storyline in a low-scoring game,” Reiss wrote. “Folk is 20-of-21 on field goals and 16-of-19 on extra points, while Gonzalez is 13-of-15 on field goals and 13-of-14 on PATs. Gonzalez is hot, coming off a game in which he hit four field goals, including a career-long 57-yarder.”
The Patriots and the Panthers are slated to kick off at 1 p.m. ET.
