New England Patriots: Grading the 5 bold player predictions of Week 1

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 13: Stephon Gilmore #24 of the New England Patriots stands with teammates as Alicia Keys performs "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by video stream before the game between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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New England Patriots Stephon Gilmore. (Photo by Timothy Bouwer/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /

Stephon Gilmore gets his revenge

Well, Stephon Gilmore didn’t pick off Ryan Fitzpatrick twice as predicted, but he did have a nice interception in the game to get a little revenge on the Miami Dolphins.

Except for a couple pass interference calls, Gilmore also helped inspire the secondary as predicted as the team recorded three interceptions overall. One by Gilmore, one by new safety Adrian Phillips and one by J.C. Jackson to seal the game.

In focusing on how the New England Patriots defended as a team, Gilmore said forcing turnovers is the team approach to each game.

"“That’s one thing we preach every day – to turn the ball over. We had a lot of turnover,” Gilmore said following the game, via Patriots.com. “I think we played pretty good, but I think we still have a lot of work to do. We left some plays out there and we’ve got to study the film, learn from the film, and move on to next week.”"

In playing a good technique, Stephon Gilmore picked up where he left off last season as the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. He is just playing so well in limiting opposing passing attacks and forcing quarterbacks into making mistakes.

Next. New England Patriots: Cam Newton as advertised in big win. dark

Despite the two pass interference calls against him, the New England Patriots shutdown corner was key in setting the tone for the defense.

Grade: B+

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