Patriots' Stephon Gilmore Wins 2019 NFL Defensive Player of Year Award

New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore took home the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year on Saturday, ending Aaron Donald's two-year reign as the NFL's top star on defense.

For as much success as the Patriots have enjoyed during the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era, Gilmore is the first New England player to win the DPOY award.

He entered as a heavy favorite after the Patriots suffocated opposing teams in 2019. New England finished first in defensive efficiency, per Football Outsiders, and allowed the fewest yards (275.9) in the league.

The Patriots secondary was a big reason for the unit's success. The team was first in opponent completion percentage (56.5), opponent passer rating (62.8) and interceptions (25). They were also second in yards per completion allowed (6.0).

As New England's top corner, Gilmore often drew the most difficult coverages. Despite that, he finished with 53 combined tackles, 20 passes defended and six interceptions, two of which went for touchdowns.

A deeper dive into the numbers shows how much the 29-year-old shut down his side of the field.

The Patriots suffered a surprising defeat to the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. DeVante Parker caught eight passes for 137 yards in Miami's 27-24 win while matched up with Gilmore for most of the game. Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson explained how much of an outlier that performance was:

"With Ryan Fitzpatrick happy to give him a chance to make a play against anybody, Parker caught eight passes for 137 yards, more than 100 of which came against Gilmore. That marks the first time all season anybody has taken Gilmore for more than 100 receiving yards and was also the most catches he's surrendered all season."

Monson wondered whether Week 17 jeopardized Gilmore's DPOY case, but the voters were never going to let one game overshadow his entire body of work.

The Patriots dynasty appears to finally be in decline following a Wild Card Round exit. It's hard to imagine how bad things could've gone were it not for New England's elite defense. One could argue Gilmore was the single most valuable player on the team, and now he has an accolade to reflect his contributions.