Patriots’ Stephon Gilmore on decisive Super Bowl interception: ‘I just knew he was going to take a shot’

ATLANTA — With a little more than four minutes left in Super Bowl LIII, Stephon Gilmore was fully expecting the ball to come his way.

The New England Patriots’ cornerback had a solid grasp of the situation. The Los Angeles Rams were trailing, 10-3, and desperately needed a big play to tie the game as they faced second-and-10 from the New England 27.

‘I mean, he was going to force once up eventually’

Sure enough, quarterback Jared Goff, while under pressure, launched a pass that was high and well short of Brandin Cooks. Gilmore jumped and snagged the ball, setting up a drive that ended with a field goal that sealed the Patriots’ 13-3 victory.

“We had a blitz call and he just chucked it up and I just made a great play.”

“I just knew he was going to take a shot,” Gilmore told SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Kirk Morrison. “I mean, he was going to force one up eventually. And it was a blitz. We had a blitz call and he just chucked it up and I just made a great play.”

‘We didn’t run what we’ve been running all season’

The Patriots’ defense frustrated Goff and the rest of the Rams’ passing game from start to finish. They had tight coverage on Cooks and fellow receiver Robert Woods.

“They put a great game plan in,” Gilmore said of the Patriots’ coaches. “We didn’t run what we’ve been running all season. Everybody played great.”