Late night discussion: Who is the Patriots' second star?

Tom Brady has been the most difficult player to stop in the NFL for almost 20 years now. He is seen by the majority of people as the greatest quarterback of all-time.

The Buffalo Bills have only beaten him twice in the last 16 years.

Of course, stopping No. 12 is the toughest and most crucial challenge for Buffalo as they try to get a statement win over the New England Patriots to get to 4-0. 

Outside of Brady, who is the second biggest threat on the field? Rob Gronkowski is now retired. Antonio Brown was cut. Is there a second star player that can take a game over for the Patriots? Who should the Bills focus on stopping the most? 

Fans took to Twitter for Tuesday's late night discussion, digging into what players could be game-breakers on Sunday at New Era Field.

Gronk who? Brown who?:

While Tom Brady no longer has Gronkowski or Brown, he still has plenty of weapons that can wreck a game. Many fans believe the secondary for Buffalo needs to come through. 

Edelman

Julian Edelman/Josh Gordon

Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon were the two most common choices for the second best player in New England and rightfully so. Edelman has been Brady's most reliable wide receiver for a long time. He is one of the top-tier slot receivers, who has become a Super Bowl hero on multiple occasions.

When he plays, Gordon looks like one of the best receivers in the NFL. He has produced 1,300-yard seasons in the past that back that up. 

A familiar face:

Since joining the Patriots, a former Bills cornerback has become one of the best in the NFL. 

Gilmore

Gilmore

Gilmore.... Playing out of his mind from what I gather?

Pro Football Focus has Stephon Gilmore as the highest-graded corner through the first three weeks. He is also the top-ranked cornerback in forced incompletions with 29. If Josh Allen and the Bills offense wants to match Brady blow-for-blow, they cannot afford to have Gilmore take away an entire half of the field. 

No second star?:

While other names came to mind for fans such as Michael Bennett, Sony Michel, and James White, some believed the second-biggest threat on the Patriots isn't on the field. 

bill belicheck

New England's defense in general

Bill Belicheck is arguably the greatest coach, game planner, and in-game adjuster of all-time. His system has allowed player after player come and go without a hiccup in production. 

Author's choice:

Looking at past matchups with the Patriots, the second best player on the field Sunday will likely be any random backup New England decides to have gash Buffalo. 

Over the years, that has been the likes of Aaron Dobson, Danny Amendola, even completely unknown players like Brian Tyms and Tim Wright caught touchdowns. In the same game by the way. 

The top Patriots star player not named Tom Brady right now has to be Stephon Gilmore. Outside of Jalen Ramsey, it is hard to make the argument that another cornerback has been better than Gilmore over the last three years. 

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