The final injury report of the week has been released and New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore will not be playing as a result of a concussion.
With Gilmore ruled out for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, it’s going to be a hard day for an already struggling Patriots defense.
Gilmore was one of the big offseason splashes made by the Patriots. They pulled him away from AFC East rival Buffalo Bills with a five-year contract, getting him to bolster a secondary that lost Logan Ryan to the Tennessee Titans.
Matt Claassen of Pro Football Focus ranked the Patriots secondary as the NFL’s third-best in 2016, with Malcolm Butler receiving the team’s highest marks in overall grade (90.8) and coverage grade (91.1).
Gilmore is coming off a 2016 season with the Bills in which he recorded a career-high five interceptions in 15 games and was named to his first Pro Bowl.
The Patriots have allowed a league worst 323 yards per game. So much for that number one defense that was highly anticipated throughout the offseason and pre-season.
Injuries have been a problem for Gilmore throughout his career and not having Gilmore on the field Sunday is going to be costly for the Patriots already struggling defense.
