Getty Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott coaches against the Arizona Cardinals.
The history between the Buffalo Bills and the 2019 AP Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore is apparent.
The Bills won’t get to see Gilmore on Mondy Night Football this week though when the two teams meet up for the second time this season.
The New England Patriots placed Gilmore on the injured reserve list on Wednesday, officially ending his season after the Patriots were knocked out of the playoffs with their loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Patriots place CB Stephon Gilmore on injured reserve:
It was reported that Gilmore suffered a partially torn quad in their loss to the Dolphins. He has only played in 11 games this season and also missed New England’s first matchup with the Bills earlier this season with a knee injury.
Gilmore’s absence from both of Buffalo’s matchup this season also comes at an intriguing time as the Bills are having one of their best seasons in 25 years.
Before Gilmore became one of the best defensive players in the league for New England, he made a name for himself in Buffalo. From 2012 to 2016 Gilmore manned one of the corner spots for the Bills. He tallied 14 interceptions, 226 total tackles, forced three fumbles, and earned the first Pro Bowl nomination of his career in his final season in Orchard Park.
By the end of his time in Buffalo, the relationship with Gilmore, the rest of the organization, and even the fan base had soured. Once his time in Orchard Park was over, and he had signed with the Patriots, he started throwing shots back at his former team.
In July of 2017, Gilmore tweeted a few interesting things and threw some subtle shots at the Bills.
My People finally going to get to see me play on tv. #Patsnation#aboutthattime
Looking back on the situation, Gilmore’s tweet looks ironic now as the Bills have played in primetime for three straight weeks and Monday’s contest in Foxborough will make it four.
Even though it has been a process to get to where they are, it seems like a lot of people are seeing the Bills play these days.
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One All-Pro Cornerback Replaced With Another
When Gilmore left after the 2016 season and Sean McDermott took over in Buffalo, the Bills needed a new cornerback to lockdown the secondary. McDermott spent his very first draft pick in Buffalo on Tre’Davious White, who has become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.
This offseason White signed a four-year, $70 million extension with the Bills, which made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL at the time and he has the stats to back it up.
In his four seasons, he’s tallied 15 interceptions, 236 tackles, and four forced fumbles, including his first of the season this past Saturday against the Denver Broncos, which defensive end Jerry Hughes turned into Buffalo’s second-straight game with a defensive touchdown.
Since getting drafted, White has been just as good as Gilmore, if not better, and just earned his second-straight pro bowl nomination this season.
The Bills Have a Defense That Is Continuing To Improve
Earlier this season, the Bills had one of the worst defenses in the league as they allowed teams to score at will. But, as the season has gone on, the defense has improved little by little. They’ve started to stop the run and force turnovers.
The Bills have forced at least one turnover in the past nine games and they’ve also held three of their last four opponents to under 100 yards rushing. They’ve also held four of their last five opponents to under 300 yards passing and haven’t allowed any of their last four opponents to score more than 25 points.
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