In the last matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots were able to roll out a cornerback duo of Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson to combat the Steelers’ deep, talented wide receiver room.
Of course, that was in 2019 — the year that Gilmore went on to win the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Fast forward to the present, neither player is at the disposal of Patriots’ defensive backs coach Mike Pellegrino as Gilmore is now in Indianapolis and Jackson signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency in March.
That will make things difficult for the Patriots against a receiving corps that Pellegrino highly respects.