There is no doubt that Stephon Gilmore is arguably the best cornerback in the NFL and he's shown that with the New England Patriots this season. As a result of his play, Gilmore was named AFC's Defensive Player of the Month in October, per Mike Reiss.
Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore is named AFC Defensive Player of the Month. Gilmore had 11 tackles, seven passes defensed and two interceptions in the Patriots’ 4-0 October. It marks the 2nd straight month a Patriots defender wins the award (Devin McCourty/September).
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 31, 2019
To begin the season, the All-Pro corner accumulated 15 tackles, three pass deflections, and an interception that turned into a pick-six in the first four games. Then, in his past four games, Gilmore has improved his play totaling 11 tackles, seven pass deflections, and two interceptions.
Gilmore is the second player on the Patriots to win the AFC's Defensive Player of the Month Award in 2019. Last month, Devin McCourty won the award for the month of September.
Considering that quarterbacks tend to avoid his side of the field, it's remarkable that Gilmore is still able to make plays that show up in the box score. When speaking about the NFL's best shutdown corners, his name is at the top of the list.
The Patriots' defense has been simply historic through the first two months of the season. New England has only surrendered 7.6 points per game (best in the NFL) and leads the NFL in takeaways with 25 of them. The team that is closest to the Patriots in takeaways is the Pittsburgh Steelers with 19.
In addition, the Patriots have 19 interceptions (most in the NFL) and there's no doubt that Gilmore is a big reason for that. As good as Gilmore has been, the entire defense likely deserves the award for how they are playing.
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