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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — This isn’t quite Joe Namath guaranteeing a Super Bowl triumph ahead of Super Bowl III. But Carlton Davis tends to bring a throwback swagger to these championship moments. One week ahead of facing Tyreek Hill in Super Bowl LV five years ago, he answered a cold call from Go Long and was extremely confident. He didn’t care that Hill torched him earlier that 2020 season — Davis told everyone to tune in.
Round 2, he promised, would be different. He was right.
That Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense then smashed the mighty Kansas City Chiefs as 3.5-point underdogs.
These New England Patriots, 4.5-point dogs, are giving Davis flashbacks.
“The same,” says Davis. “I feel like we’re going to go out there and play our brand of football. A lot of people are underestimating us because of the schedule. But we made it this far. We’ve been winning games and we’ve been playing better than other teams’ defenses. So I feel like it’s going to be another surprise win. Last time we talked, the favorites were the Chiefs. So yeah, I feel the same.”
Every championship participant since the dawn of time has tried to conjure an us-against-world mentality.
Sometimes, the disrespect is real.
These Patriots — under Mike Vrabel — have heard all about their historically feeble schedule. They know their AFC title win over the Jarrett Stidham-led Denver Broncos has been treated like a kid in Pre-K effectively coloring between the lines.
This team feels sincerely disrespected and vows to do something about it.