Stephon Gilmore: 'I Was Mad' A.J. Brown 'Called Me Old' Before Cowboys Win vs. Eagles

It turns out the one thing you don't want to do is call Stephon Gilmore old.

The Dallas Cowboys cornerback said A.J. Brown motivated him during a back-and-forth during Sunday night's game against the Philadelphia Eagles by mentioning his age.

"I just didn't like how he called me old at the beginning of the game," Gilmore said, per Nick Harris of DallasCowboys.com. "So it lit a fire in me a little bit. I was mad. The only thing I could do was show him I was still here, and I think I did that today."

"I've been doing this my whole career. Covering the best guy and following him. It's exciting because you know the ball is coming your way. I get up for those types of moments."

Gilmore wound up having one of his best games in a Cowboys uniform, compiling nine tackles and forcing a fumble on Brown that helped turn the tide in Dallas' favor. Brown finished with nine receptions for 94 yards but was stuck catching a series of underneath passes as Gilmore refused to allow him to make a play down the field.

In his 12th NFL season and playing on his fourth team in as many years, Gilmore was forced to take on an increased role in the Dallas secondary when Trevon Diggs suffered a season-ending ACL tear. He's responded by playing consistently high-quality football for a Dallas team that now sits in a tie with the Eagles atop the NFC East.

"I just think we know what type of team we have," Gilmore said. "We know what type of players we have. In this time of year, you have to play your best ball. We knew we were going up against a good team, a divisional team, we were excited for the opportunity."

Gilmore won't get much time to rest up as the Cowboys have three superstar wideouts (Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill and Amon-Ra St. Brown) coming up in their next three games.