Stephon Gilmore Shutting Down Odell Beckham Jr Would Be Poetic Justice Years in the Making

Stephon Gilmore is a shutdown cornerback, rapidly ascending to the top of the NFL ranks at his position on inarguably the best defense in the league.

So far this season, the Patriots defense has given up just one passing touchdown, while Tom Brady and Co. have thrown for 18 of their own. That's a shocking disparity, especially considering the only score allowed through the air came against Daniel Jones and the Giants.

Speaking of New York, one of their former stars is heading to Foxborough for a championship test. The Browns take on the Pats in Week 8, and Odell Beckham Jr. gets another rematch with Gilmore, a quiet rival.

In today's day and age, athletes take instagram jabs personally, and the Gilmore-OBJ thread has a history. It all started when Beckham Jr. posted a photo featuring Gilmore in 2016, in which the then-Giants WR took his shot and even used an insulting hashtag, #irrelevant. Gilmore responded to this jab with a post of his own, even stating OBJ had "more punches than receptions" when they matched up.

Yet, this was far from the first time OBJ and Gilmore clashed. In 2015, the then-Bills CB called Beckham Jr. a prima donna. Needless to say, both of these elite gridiron talents will be ready for Sunday.

Another win on Sunday--which is expected given the Patriots current trajectory--would perhaps seal Gilmore's fate as the clear winner in this longstanding feud.

While personal victories don't necessarily symbolize the 'Patriot Way', they sure as hell sweeten the pot.