Gilmore will have to step up big Sunday
Patriots hope to limit high-flying offense
For the Patriots to beat Super Bowl champs, their star DB must shine.
Completely shutting down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense isn’t a realistic goal for the Patriots, or any other defense on the planet.
Andy Reid’s quarterback will get the ball in the end zone. That is the surest and safest bet in the NFL in 2020.
A more practical aim for the Patriots defense?
Not letting Mahomes dictate the course of the game by racking up an outrageous number of points right out of the gate.
The Chiefs are going to score, but will it be more like a leaky faucet or an avalanche?
No doubt, defensive mastermind Bill Belichick will maneuver all of his chips in the secondary to try and make it a slow drip, something the Ravens couldn’t do Monday night.
What chess piece will Belichick move first?
Stephon Gilmore.
Any thought of curbing the Chiefs and its fleet of track stars starts with Gilmore, the reigning defensive player of the year.
If he doesn’t play at the level that’s expected, and shut down KC’s best weapon, or the player Belichick wants him to eliminate, the Patriots won’t have much of a shot at limiting Ma
homes.
Gilmore is the player who sets the tone in the secondary. With the Chiefs having so many weapons, if he can’t hold up his end, the dominos will start falling.
“It’s gonna take all 11 guys each and every play,” Gilmore said during his video call Wednesday. “That’s what it’s going to take for us to come out and win.”
True. With Mahomes having so many options, be it wideouts Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson, tight end Travis Kelce or running back Clyde EdwardsHelaire, it will take a village starting up front with the pass rush, and working its way back to the secondary.
But it still behooves Gilmore, who just got a $5 million pay bump, to get the ball rolling. He needs to bring his ‘A’ game. The Patriots need last year’s version of the shutdown corner, not the one who’s been patrolling the secondary the first three weeks.
Given his performance last year, and in recent years, the bar has been raised. Gilmore has set the standard for excellence at the position.
And while he hasn’t played poorly, he just hasn’t lived up to his reputation.
Heading into Week 4, Gilmore, who has been targeted 15 times in coverage, was the 73rd-highest graded cornerback by Pro Football Focus.
That’s tough to compute.
Last year, he had just one defensive pass interference penalty. He’s already had three in three games. He had two in the first game against Miami, and one Sunday, having to yank and tug at Nelson Agholor after the Raiders receiver beat him down the sideline.
Two of Gilmore’s three pass interference penalties led to touchdowns. Last year, his greatest crime was five defensive holding penalties over the course of the season. Those resulted in five-yard penalties, as opposed to spot fouls.
Gilmore knows he has to pick it up, especially against the Chiefs.
“We just got to compete, you know, compete each and every play, you know, keep fighting,” he said. “They have a great team but you go out there and play hard and trust your technique, trust your teammates, and let the chips fall where they fall.”
In week 2 against Seattle, Russell Wilson went after Gilmore, hitting D.K. Metcalf three times on five targets for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Asked if he liked the fact quarterbacks aren’t shying away from throwing at him, Gilmore didn’t exactly bite on the unspoken suggestion teams were targeting him. Whether they’re targeting him or not doesn’t change how he prepares, or his thought process toward defending receivers.
“Different quarterbacks, you know, they have different opinions. So you have to be ready no matter what,” said Gilmore. “If they’re coming your way, you have to be ready. If they don’t come your way, you try to be in the best position, if they do. That’s how I look at it.”
At this point, it’s guesswork where Belichick will use him. Given Hill’s blazing speed and size, he’s isn’t the best matchup for Gilmore. That assignment is likely to go to Jon Jones or J.C. Jackson, currently the NFL’s fifth-best corner according to PFF grades.
In the past, Gilmore has drawn Watkins, who he held to just two catches on six targets for 13 yards during their 2019 matchup. He’s also spent time marking Kelce, the Chiefs prolific tight end. Joejuan Williams, who was used against Darren Waller last week, might draw that straw. Or, it wouldn’t be shocking to see rookie Kyle Dugger land the job.
However it goes, whoever Gilmore guards, he has to take that option away for Mahomes.
“I just try to prepare each and every snap,” said Gilmore. “Coach puts me in certain situations each and every week to make plays for my team. So whenever the ball comes my way, I try to be in the best position I can.”
Gilmore, who has one interception and one pass breakup this season, is usually up for any challenge. He’s rebounded after getting burned, or getting beat in the past. That’s what the great corners are known for, having short memories.
“I wouldn’t worry about him,” SiriusXM NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots said when reached this week. “He’s the last guy I’d worry about.”