'I Wanted A.J. Brown!' 'Old' Stephon Gilmore Extinguishes Eagles in Dallas Cowboys' Week 14 Win

'I Wanted A.J. Brown!' 'Old' Stephon Gilmore Extinguishes Eagles in Dallas Cowboys' Week 14 Win

The only way the Dallas Cowboys could have cemented themselves as legitimate contenders in the NFC was by embarrassing the Philadelphia Eagles. Mission accomplished.

In a dominant 33-13 win, Dallas showed the football world it has the best quarterback in the NFC East and the defense to match. Philadelphia did not score an offensive touchdown.

Keeping the likes of receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith out of the end zone is no easy feat. Doing so while forcing three turnovers is even more impressive. Few deserve more credit than veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Gilmore spent most of his night following Brown, who generated 1,164 yards and seven scores entering Week 14. On Sunday Night Football, he managed an empty nine catches for 94 yards.

That yardage total isn’t insignificant, but Gilmore won the day with his best work of the season. He forced a fumble on Brown to end the Eagles’ first drive of the second half and managed to hold him without a catch for the entire first quarter.

After the game, Gilmore, 33, attributed his success to Brown calling him “old” during a moment when the two were in each other’s faces.

“It lit a fire in me a little bit,” Gilmore said. “I was mad. I was going to show him. That’s the only thing I could do, is just show him that I’m still here.”

Gilmore - the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year acquired via trade from the Colts in the offseason - is very much present as a piece of a Cowboys (10-3) defense that continues to show up. Dallas is now 7-1 since the bye and tied atop the NFC East, in part thanks to the turnovers and clutch stops the defense has provided.

Furthermore, it’s no surprise that Gilmore got a whole lot of Brown on Sunday. Cornerback DaRon Bland has stolen the spotlight, and rightfully so, but seeing a physical No. 1 receiver on the schedule is Gilmore’s version of the Bat Signal.

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“I told them I wanted him,” Gilmore said. “Because you know the ball will go to him and you can make plays. So like I said before, I’ve done it my whole career. It lights a fire in me because I love those moments, going up against other great guys on the other side of the ball.”

Gilmore will get the opportunity to see more big-time players in big-time games next week when Dallas visits the Buffalo Bills and star receiver Stefon Diggs.