David Andrews will enjoy Patriots’ trip to Germany, but knows ‘the most important thing is the game’

After a four-year hiatus, the New England Patriots will play another international game during the 2023 regular season. As was announced by the NFL on Wednesday, they will take on the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany.

Patriots team captain David Andrews knows that the game on Nov. 12 will be a special event for everyone involved. However, it remains a business trip first and foremost.

“As a professional, the most important thing is the game. That’s what we’re there for. We’re not there to sightsee,” Andrews told NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Wednesday.

“We get some time off, that’s when we should go sightsee and do some things like that. But just enjoying the experience, remember why you’re there: you’re there for that game on Sunday, and that’s the most important thing. Coming home with a victory always leaves a better taste in your mouth than a loss on those experiences.”

The game against Indianapolis will add a new chapter to the story of Andrews’ career. While the Patriots’ starting center was on the roster for their last international game against the then-Oakland Raiders in Mexico City in 2017, an illness kept him out of the contest.

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Five years later, he will get to finally experience taking the field on non-United States soil. Needless to say that the 30-year-old is already looking forward to the opportunity.

“Super excited,” he said. “I know last year they said the environment was unreal at the game. I think as I’ve gotten older you try to appreciate those experiences more and more. So, I’m super excited. I didn’t get to play in our last international game in Mexico, so this will be a first for me.”

The Patriots’ Week 10 game versus the Colts, which officially will be counted as a New England home game, will be the franchise’s fourth abroad. Besides the aforementioned game in Mexico, the team also played in London in 2009 and 2012. All three of those games ended in victory.

In order to improve to 4-0, focusing on the business side of things will be key. Regardless of the eventual outcome, however, Andrews pointed out that the week-long trip overseas will also provide an opportunity for some team-building.

“That’s something that I’ve always enjoyed, even when we were doing West Coast trips,” he said. “Even though it was a lot of work you still get some free time. You’re out there with the guys. You get to hang out with them, go to dinner with the guys. It’s not training camp, but you’re just all together in the hotel so it kind of has that feel a little bit. I’ve always enjoyed that when we go on those West Coast trips or whatever it may be.

“Once the work day is over, you get to spend some time with each other as teammates and experience some of the different restaurants and different foods out there. I think it’s just going to be a great experience.”