Patriots Star Sends Reminder to NFL

The New England Patriots may be underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers, but they are not counting themselves out.
Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (92) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (92) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In this story:

The New England Patriots are massive underdogs heading into their Week 4 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, which is entirely understandable.

After all, the Patriots were widely considered one of the worst teams in the NFL going into the season, and the 49ers are defending NFC champions.

However, New England defensive lineman Davon Godchaux doesn't seem to care.

Godchaux is adopting an "any given Sunday" mentality as he prepares for San Francisco and has cited a couple of recent examples of upsets that occurred in order to show that the games still need to be played.

"Carolina came into Vegas last week and everybody was saying 'Vegas is going to win this game easily.' Same thing with Cincinnati against Washington on 'Monday Night Football' -- everybody thought Washington was going to be smoked," Godchaux said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. "So what happened? Jayden Daniels put a whipping on Cincinnati. Andy Dalton did the same thing to the Raiders. This is the NFL."

That's certainly true, and what's funny is that both the Pats and the Niners are 1-2.

"The game still has to be played in between the lines. I get it, people have to make the lines, the bets and all that," added Godchaux. "But it doesn't matter what someone else says. It matters what the team believes in -- the three phases, and the 11 guys that are on the field at that moment."

That doesn't diminish the fact that this will unquestionably be a tough matchup for the Patriots, especially when you consider how they looked against the New York Jets in Week 3.

Plus, the 49ers are getting some reinforcements, as tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel will be taking the field against New England on Sunday afternoon.

That being said, the Pats have already put together a shocking road win once this year, when they beat the Bengals in their season opener.

Can they do it again in the Bay Area?

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!


Published