Gilmore contains Hopkins
FOXBORO — While he rebounded to finish the second half of last season, including the playoffs, in strong form, there’s no question Stephon Gilmore left something to be desired at the beginning of his first year with the Patriots.
There were no such struggles to begin this season, however.
Needing a big performance out of him yesterday against one of the NFL’s premier wide receivers in DeAndre Hopkins, Gilmore answered the call. It was a big reason why the Patriots were able to slow down the Houston Texans and a potentially lethal passing attack in their 27-20 victory at Gillette Stadium.
Hopkins finished with eight catches for 78 yards, which is actually his highest output in six career games against the Patriots. And for a second straight year, the Pats didn’t have to worry about deep threat Will Fuller (out with a hamstring injury). But the Pats held Hopkins in check yet again, and didn’t let one of the top playmakers in the league change the game like he can.
“He’s difficult,” Gilmore said. “He pushes off a lot, but they’re not going to call it. He has great catch radius, so coaches put me in a position to make plays. Sometimes I had help, sometimes I didn’t, so I was able to make some plays on him, and I’m just happy with the win.”
Gilmore had a tough September last season as he tried to learn a new system and some new responsibilities before thriving for the majority of the rest of the season. With Malcolm Butler gone to Tennessee, and Gilmore having the playoff success he had, there were big expectations coming into this season for the unquestioned No. 1 corner. He was more than up to the challenge.
In last season’s matchup with the Texans, the Patriots played mostly zone defense, and while Hopkins didn’t have a big day, they changed it up yesterday. Gilmore spent the majority of the day shadowing Hopkins in mostly man-to-man coverage, and the receiver had trouble breaking loose. Even Hopkins’ biggest play of the day, a diving 17-yard catch early in the third quarter on tight coverage from Gilmore, was challenged before being ultimately upheld.
Beyond that, Hopkins was mostly quiet. The Texans tried to get him involved with several screen plays, but Gilmore and the secondary never let him get away.
“Steph did a tremendous job on (Hopkins),” Patriots safety Duron Harmon said. “Steph is a top corner in the NFL, he does a good job week in and week out. He studies film hard. He knows what he’s going against in his opponent.
“Hopkins is a big-time threat. All-Pro receiver, and if you can slow him down a little bit, I believe he was the most targeted receiver last year in the NFL. The Houston offense wants to get him going because they know how special he is, and if you can slow him down, you can really make their offense a little stagnant.”
The Texans’ offense was certainly stagnant before they made it a game late in the fourth. That’s when Gilmore was flagged for two holding penalties — both in the red zone — that allowed Houston to make it a one-score game with two minutes to go.
Gilmore wasn’t sure about the calls afterward.
“First one, maybe. Second one, I don’t know,” Gilmore said. “You can’t touch them nowadays, so you just have to find a way to win. He pushed off a lot, but they’re not going to call it, so you just have to play strong through him and make plays when they come your way.”
The Patriots held on, and Gilmore’s play on Hopkins was critical. In a season in which he’ll match up with top receivers like Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown, Detroit’s Golden Tate and Green Bay’s Davante Adams, among others, Gilmore certainly passed the first test.
“He’s just looking forward to playing good football each and every week and being the best corner he can for this football team,” Harmon said. “He did a tremendous job of that today.”