Stephon Gilmore Throws Shade at Zach Ertz for Complaining During Patriots' Victory Over Eagles

The New England Patriots came back from a 10-0 deficit on Sunday afternoon to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 17-10. Plenty of credit goes to the Patriots defense, a group who limited the Eagles to zero points after their sole touchdown.

One of the keys to a New England victory was knocking Philadelphia tight end Zach Ertz off his game. When asked about it postgame, Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore threw some shade at Ertz, saying he was "crying" during their matchup, as they expected him to.

Stephon Gilmore when asked if he thought Patriots defense frustrated TE Zach Ertz: “Yeah, he was crying. He did that on film a lot. If you get into him, he don’t get the ball, or if he don’t get a call, he’ll cry. But, he’s a good receiver. He’s a good tight end.”
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) November 18, 2019

Gilmore did go onto praise the Eagles tight end, but noticed what gets under his skin while studying game film. If you annoy him enough or if he doesn't get the ball, Ertz will "cry."

Even so, Ertz had a rather strong game, as he hauled in 9-of-11 targets for 94 yards. However, he was held without a touchdown reception, the most important of statistics.

Stephon Gilmore said he knew he could get Zach Ertz a little rattled because he had seen the Eagles tight end crying on film.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) November 18, 2019

That's a common theme if you're an NFL receiver who has the unfortunate task of lining up against Gilmore. The Patriots corner has yet to allow a touchdown this season and, as a result, frustrates both the opposing receiver and quarterback.

Stephon Gilmore just provided the blueprint to covering Zach Ertz. Frustrate him enough, and he'll be a relative non-factor.