New England Patriots - NESN.com
New England Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis III played his best game of the season on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals — but there were some slight hiccups along the way.
Davis, who finished the afternoon with the lowest completion percentage allowed by anyone on the field, was called for defensive pass interference on wide receiver Tee Higgins late in the fourth quarter — extending a drive that resulted in a touchdown from Joe Flacco to Mitchell Tinsley.
Davis wasn’t exactly thrilled about the way things unfolded…
“That (expletive) was BS because he’s a bigger receiver, first and foremost, and he’s a physical receiver. If you ever just watch his film, when he’s on a go ball, he’s constantly trying to create slight separation,” Davis said following the game, as transcribed by Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. “I could turn around and play the ball, but once you turn around, that’s his (expletive). As soon as you turn around, he’ll give you a little nudge, and now you’re out of range of the ball. So I just played through the hands, he was tugging, tugging and I just — boom — played physical.
Davis has been called for seven penalties on the season, which leads the club and ranks fourth-most across the entire league — though his response has typically been tremendous.
Davis finished with three pass deflections on the ensuing drive, matching his total from the entire season and serving as the proverbial nail in the coffin of Cincinnati’s comeback attempt at Paycor Stadium.
“That (expletive) made me mad as (expletive) because it was already (the) fourth quarter, and I felt like I put my team in a bad position when it was a BS call, and now they’re in field goal range and they’re inside the red zone. And then we give up a touchdown, so I’m just mad about it because I’m understanding the position and what all transpired since that (penalty) And so, that (expletive) really just lit a fire under me. Like, I promise you I’m not going to let this game slip out of our hands.”
The Patriots would prefer if he didn’t need the fire to be lit by penalties, but given the result, they’ll take what they can get.
