Stephon Gilmore won't shy away from taking the mantle of best cornerback in the NFL, especially when the New England Patriots cornerback proves week in and week out he deserves every penny of the five-year, $65 million deal the team give him two years ago. 

Gilmore was charged with the task of covering Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper, who had 109 catches for 1,611 yards and 13 touchdowns in 19 games since joining Dallas last year (entering Sunday's game with New England). Gilmore held Cooper without a catch in the Patriots' 13-9 win, the first game Cooper was held without a reception since joining the Cowboys. Cooper was targeted only twice thanks to the blanket coverage by Gilmore, solidifying his status as the best cornerback in the game. 

According to Gilmore, there shouldn't even be a debate ... as the Patriots cornerback emphasized on Twitter Monday. 

Aside from shutting down Cooper, Gilmore has plenty of evidence to prove he is the best cornerback in the game this year. Opposing quarterbacks have just a 40.6 passer rating when targeting Gilmore, completing just 51.6 percent of their passes for 331 yards and no touchdowns, averaging just 10 yards per completion. 

Against top receiving options this season, Gilmore has shined in shadow coverage. He has held JuJu Smith-Schuster to six catches for 78 yards, Robby Anderson to just four catches for 21 yards in two games, Odell Beckham to five catches for 52 yards and Terry McLaurin to three catches for 51 yards. Gilmore also has 13 passes defensed and four interceptions this season. 

Gilmore has received the backing of a former "best cornerback in the NFL." Darrelle Revis proclaimed in October Gilmore was the best cornerback in the league "by far." The numbers show Gilmore is going to be an All-Pro for the second consecutive year, but he is probably underpaid for how dominant he has at his position.