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You already know the New England Patriots‘ Stephon Gilmore was not going to stand for this.
Following the Patriots’ 34-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15, Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd gave one of the most puzzling postgame interviews in NFL history. That would be because despite the fact that he was blanketed for the duration of his team’s loss — he caught just three balls for 26 yards for one of his worst outings of the season — Boyd claimed that he won the one-on-one matchup versus Gilmore.
Now, it was Gilmore’s turn to fire back. During his weekly appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand,” the Patriots Pro Bowler gave a legendary response to Boyd’s outlandish claim.
“I don’t know, maybe he was confused, or, maybe, I don’t know,” Gilmore said. “I don’t know what he was looking at. False confidence.”
Tyler Boyd’s Original Comments Following Patriots Loss
For those that missed out on Boyd’s original comments, here is what the veteran receiver stated immediately following the Bengals’ loss.
“It was just 1-on-1,” Boyd said, according to the transcripts released by Bengals PR. “I won the majority of the matchups. … But the two plays he made were great plays.”
If that wasn’t enough enough of a laughable claim, the 25-year-old receiver not only claimed he won the majority of the matchups against the league’s top shutdown corner — he also claimed that the Bengals should have won a game in which they were outscored 27-3 after taking a 10-7 lead.
“We should have won,” Boyd told reporters. “We just didn’t do well in the passing game.”
Never mind the fact that at 1-13, the Bengals are the worst team in the NFL. Meanwhile at 11-3, the Patriots are primed to clinch a first round bye and a division title.
Long story short, Boyd’s comments were stupid and as delusional as they could possibly get.
Stephon Gilmore’s Case for Defensive Player of the Year
The 29-year-old cornerback is easily the star of the Patriots’ No. 1 ranked defense. Not only is he the star of the best defensive unit in the league, he’s easily the league’s best corner. His six interceptions and 18 passes deflected lead the league.
In fact, Gilmore is so dominant that he’s allowed just 24 catches on 66 targets for 280 yards, zero touchdowns and six interceptions for a 12.4 passer rating. Yes, you read that right — a 12.4 passer rating.
Via Jeff Howe of The Athletic:
“This season, Gilmore has allowed 24 catches on 66 targets (36.4 completion percentage) for 280 yards, no touchdowns and six interceptions for a 12.2 passer rating. He has returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns and has also broken up 14 passes, by and large taking the opponent’s best receiver in one-on-one coverage. Gilmore has allowed two or fewer receptions in 11 of 15 games, including three shutouts. By comparison, he entered the season with two shutouts in his first two years with the Patriots.”
Gilmore has been so dominant that he himself claimed during his interview with Zolak and Bertrand that there’s “no question” he should be the Defensive Player of the Year this season.
Historically speaking, the Defensive Player of the Year has gone to sack artists. In fact, the last defensive back to win the DPOY award was in 2010 when Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers did it.
Based upon how defensive play this season, there’s no question that Gilmore should become the first defensive back to win the award since Polamalu.
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