How Stephon Gilmore etched his legacy with game-winning interception in Super Bowl LIII
Earlier today, cornerback Stephon Gilmore was set to be released by the New England Patriots but this did not last long as they wound up trading him to the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers for a sixth-round draft pick in 2023.
Gilmore is certain to bring an intense level of play to the Panthers that he was known for during his time in New England. However, Stephon Gilmore has made his mark in the league, particularly in arguably the biggest game of his career.
Similar to how Malcolm Butler's interception has defined his career for many fans, Stephon Gilmore's own Super Bowl interception was equally important for the cornerback. Super Bowl LIII saw the New England Patriots take on the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI.
Many expected the game to be a shootout like Super Bowl LII a year earlier. Thanks to Gilmore, the game was a slugfest.
Stephon Gilmore's brightest moment
In Gilmore's brightest moment, the Los Angeles Rams showed up on the back of one of the most explosive offenses of the decade with head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff. Gilmore's job was to act as the first line of defense against Brandin Cooks. He ended up with eight receptions for 120 yards, but most importantly, no touchdowns.
A stunner: Patriots are releasing four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who was eligible to come off the Physically Unable to Perform List after Week 6, source tells ESPN. https://t.co/31H8KQF8hq
The Rams were held without a touchdown and ended up scoring only three points. The Patriots needed a performance like this from the defense as they only scored 13 points with the final touchdown coming late in the fourth quarter.
If the Rams had scored an average of 32.9 points per game, the Patriots would have likely lost by a considerable amount.
Instead, the Patriots' defense, led by Gilmore, handed Tom Brady his biggest Super Bowl win up to that point in his career, despite only scoring 13 points. With 4:17 left in the fourth quarter, Goff's Rams needed a touchdown to tie the game as they were down seven points.
Goff went after Gilmore one time too many times and threw his only interception of the game. It could not have come at a better time for the Patriots and worked to cement Gilmore's place in not just Patriots history, but that of the NFL as well.
Stephon Gilmore's time with the Patriots was legendary. From his 99 overall rating in Madden to the interception in the Super Bowl, Gilmore's career with the Patriots ranks highly among top-tier cornerbacks.
Stephon Gilmore's career
Gilmore is famous for his time in New England, but he only spent the second half of his career donning the Patriots' logo. After being drafted in 2012, Gilmore spent his first five years with the Buffalo Bills. It wasn't until 2017 that the Patriots landed the cornerback.
Up until that point, while Gilmore had had two great seasons (2014 and 2015), he was merely a solid starting cornerback for the Bills. According to PFF, 2014 and 2015 were the only years in which Gilmore had more than a 70.0 overall rating with the Bills.
It wasn't until landing with the Patriots that Gilmore's career took a step to being the elite cornerback that he is today.
In his first season with the Patriots, Gilmore had the best-rated season of his career at 78.2. 2018 saw his play skyrocket to even greater heights, finishing the season with an eye-popping 90.7 PFF score. This was the year the Patriots beat the Rams in the Super Bowl.
In 2019, he had a career-record in interceptions. That same year, Gilmore intercepted six passes and finished the year with a great 82.8 PFF rating. Unfortunately, this will be Gilmore's last great season with the Patriots.
2020 saw his game dip to rookie-levels and by October 2021, the cornerback had suffered an injury, had a holdout and was ultimately released by New England.
and is looking for a new team. While his time with the Patriots is wrapped up, the cornerback still has some gas in the tank at 31 years old. He should have no problem finding another team for one or two last contract(s).