Patriots Defender Claims Teammates Made ‘Selfish’ Plays Vs. 49ers

Davon Godchaux believes the New England Patriots' defense had players venturing outside of their assignments during their blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

The veteran defensive tackle claimed teammates were being "selfish," and trying to make plays on their own rather than following the defensive play-calls.

"We just all got to be on the same page," Godchaux said Monday during an appearance on WEEI's "Jones & Keefe" radio show. "We got guys -- you know, just being honest -- we got guys, some guys being kind of selfish.

"I get it. I mean, we're down. Guys want to make plays. I get it. But everybody got to play, I'm talking about defense, everybody has to play as 11. And everybody got to sacrifice to do what's best for the team. I know some guys want to make plays when we're down, get back in the game. But we got to just keep going as a team and play team defense."

Godchaux didn't name-drop any specific teammate or position group.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo lamented the fact New England was not able to set the edge against 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who got outside the pocket frequently in the 30-13 verdict.

Godchaux believes coaches and teammates would hold him accountable if he were doing the same.

"It's coming from me as a guy who's played a lot of football in the league, who's been a starter in the league since Day 1. It's coming from me. I've seen a lot of football where I can tell when it -- and I'm not calling nobody out. I know guys are just trying to make plays. And I get it. Everybody is trying to make a play to get us back in the game," Godchaux said.

"But it's a time and a moment for that and yesterday we had too many plays where guys were just trying to do their own thing."

The veteran defensive lineman expressed confidence in New England's defense and believes the group will be able to bounce back from the self-inflicted wounds.

"I think once guys get that we'll be OK," Godchaux said. "It's us beating ourselves."

The 1-3 Patriots return to Gillette Stadium and host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.