The 49ers are also claiming their defense to be the "Boogeymen."
Not only are the Patriots and the 49ers each battling to stay undefeated, but it looks like they’re battling over the same nickname too.
Following San Francisco’s 28-25 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night, the 49ers’ Instagram page posted a picture of DeForest Buckner sacking Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
The caption they put for the picture was “the boogeymen live in the backfield.”
If you didn’t know, the Patriots linebacking unit has called itself “The Boogeymen” since last month. Linebacker Dont’a Hightower was the first player to use the term, saying “we’re The Boogymen” following the Patriots’ win over the Washington Redskins on Oct. 6.
A couple of days later, Kyle Van Noy asked fans for t-shirt designs for “The Boogeymen.”
In the Patriots’ Week 7 win over the New York Jets, Sam Darnold was heard on “Mic’d Up” saying that he was “seeing ghosts” in his four-interception performance.
“That’s the Boogeyman for real,” Van Noy said of Darnold’s comment.
"… that's the Boogeyman for real. … He really said that? That's crazy."
Kyle Van Noy's reaction to finding out Sam Darnold said 'He was seeing ghosts' against the Pats defense. pic.twitter.com/UNKWbysSd8
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 22, 2019
If we’re picking which team is the real “Boogeymen,” it’s a tough choice.
The Patriots and 49ers boast the top two defenses in the league, with Patriots only allowing seven yards less per game. The Patriots also have the No. 1 scoring defense (7.6 points per game) and have forced the most turnovers (25) in the league. The 49ers have the No. 2 scoring defense (12.8 points per game) and have forced the third-most turnovers in the league (16).
So, it looks like the Patriots have a slight edge in the right to use the nickname. But with the way both teams are playing, maybe we’ll find out who the real “Boogeymen” are in the Super Bowl.
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