Carlton Davis: 'I feel like it’s going to be another surprise win'

He's been a Super Bowl underdog before, and his Bucs destroyed KC. Carlton Davis can now see history repeating itself. We sit down with the rugged corner. These Patriots sure feel disrespected.

Feb 06, 2026

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.

For two weeks, all nitty-gritty schematics of a Super Bowl are dissected to nauseating extremes. It’s justified. Both of these coaching staffs are loaded with brilliant minds doing everything imaginable to stay one chess move ahead. Yet, there’s always an intangible element impossible to quantify. That’s where the Patriots hope to gain an edge. Quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant let Drake Maye know that 48 of 58 people at ESPN are picking the Seahawks to win. Vrabel enjoys pointing out to New England’s defense how often us in the media glorify the other team’s defense.

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Davis is confident, and he is certain he’s far from alone.

“We’ve been winning but people feel like it’s ‘fool’s gold,’” says Davis, using air quotes. “It’s been that way this whole season through the playoffs. So it’s nothing new right now.
“It keeps the chip on our shoulder.”

Fact: New England faced the second-easiest schedule this century.

Also, a fact: New England has pummeled those teams: Carolina by 29. Tennessee by 18. Cleveland by 19. New York Giants by 18. New York Jets by 32. Miami by 28. The Patriots made Justin Herbert look bad, C.J. Stroud look horrendous and Stidham’s Broncos gained all of 56 yards on their final eight drives. Only the 2000 Baltimore Ravens have surrendered fewer points than the Patriots’ defense through three playoff wins ahead of a Super Bowl.

However, each week, us in the media glamorize the other defense taking the field. Houston’s band of outlaws got all the roses. Then, Denver’s sack-happy pass rush was all the rage. Now, Seattle’s No. 1-ranked defense is filling headlines.

Davis is a confrontational cornerback. He’ll press receivers and take his chances with the refs. The last time we heard from him, Tampa Bay was universally predicted to finish as one of the worst teams in the NFL post-Tom Brady. Davis promised his defense would “wreck shit” and those Bucs won the division.

To him, it’s not bluster. He sees power in harnessing doubt.

“That’s the only way to think,” Davis says. “You can use it as fuel to the fire. The more people count you out, the more you want to prove them wrong. So it’s been that way this whole season and it’s like, ‘OK, cool. We’ll do it again.’”

To Davis, the way Houston was discussed ahead of their divisional playoff game represented fool’s gold. He thought individual players were getting gassed up way too much.

To Davis, the No. 1 criteria that should be used is winning games. Consistency.

A win over these Seahawks would leave no doubt in the court of public opinion. New England’s defense would stand above them all.

Seattle presents problems. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak was a maestro in the NFC Championship, effectively dialing up Jaxon Smith-Njigba early and often. The NFL’s receiving champ caught 10-of-12 targets for 153 yards with a touchdown. His sublime route running has burnt teams short, intermediate and deep all season.

A half-decade ago, Davis had his share of reps vs. Hill.

It’ll be different this time around. New England plans on sticking their No. 1 corner (Christian Gonzalez) on Smith-Njigba.

“We’re going to have ‘Gonzo’ follow him,” Davis says. “Obviously, he’ll motion and I’ll probably see him a couple times. But yeah, I don’t think this team was as explosive as the Chiefs team back 2020. That Chiefs team was one of the greatest offenses ever in the sport. So, I’m not going to compare the two. But the Seahawks do have a good offense.”

Gonzalez is ready.

“He’s a real cool, calm, collected kind of guy,” Davis adds. “He’s always been chill. He’s got a lot of poise.”

What a night that was in Tampa. Defensively, those Bucs made Mahomes scamper all over the field for 497 yards in all before sacks and throws — the highest total recorded in the Next Gen Stats era (since ‘16). The cherry on top was safety Antoine Winfield flashing a peace sign directly in Hill’s face.

Darnold is rolling. He threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns in the conference championship.

Darnold, in the past, has also made mistakes under duress. It’s on Vrabel to somehow conjure ghosts of old.

Again, Davis is unflinching. He’s gunning for a 2020 repeat.

“Yeah, I feel the same,” he says. “We have got a great front. I feel like pass rush and coverage go hand and hand, so we’re going to have a great opportunity to show how great we are.”

This has been a perfect marriage between player and culture. As chronicled, Davis grew up with “killers” in South Florida. He’s witnessed the thin line between life and death. Gunfire would break out during youth football games, a product of gambling bets gone wrong. He vividly remembers that pop-pop-pop and either sprinting to safety or hitting the deck. This ornery, combative play style you see each Sunday is a direct reflection of those roots. GM Eliot Wolf and Vrabel coveted his fearlessness.

An upbringing like his never completely fades from your memory. He thinks about those scenes once or twice a week. Many childhood friends of old are dead or in jail.

At the same time, but Davis also doesn’t draw motivation from this all. Nor has he considered the legacy he’ll leave behind. One Mike Tyson quote sticks with him. The former heavyweight champ called legacy another word for “ego.” Then, he got morbid. Tyson believes humans are just passing through. “I’m gonna die, and it’s gonna be over,” the boxer said. “Who cares about legacy after that?”

All Davis hopes to do is earn respect and provide for his family. His daughter is now 6 years old.

He might not care about whatever people say about him years from now. And we know Tom Brady doesn’t care who wins this game, either. Patriots players admitted they’re pissed the Patriot legend doesn’t have their back. Linebacker Robert Spillane said the neutral stance makes him sick.

Then again, a little more gasoline on their fire can’t hurt.

Vrabel’s been trying to leave the past in the past.

Win this Super Bowl and the 2025 Patriots can leave a legacy of their own.

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