{"id":105149,"date":"2025-10-09T09:54:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T09:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=105149"},"modified":"2025-10-09T09:54:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T09:54:14","slug":"breaking-if-vintage-stefon-diggs-keeps-showing-up-for-the-patriots-the-afc-could-be-in-serious-trouble-the-star-receiver-looks-rejuvenated-and-ready-to-rewrite-new-england-offense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=105149","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: If vintage Stefon Diggs keeps showing up for the Patriots the AFC could be in serious trouble. The star receiver looks rejuvenated and ready to rewrite New England offense"},"content":{"rendered":"

One-game wonder? Or rest-of\u2013the-season stud?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to know if the Stefon Diggs that showed up Sunday night in Buffalo, hellbent on putting on a show against his former team in his return to Highmark Stadium, will be the Diggs we see in New Orleans Sunday, and every week to follow, or if this was simply a one-time, adrenaline-charged masterpiece from a scorned player.<\/p>\n

Given it\u2019s already somewhat of a miracle that Diggs returned so quickly from ACL surgery, the hope is that he\u2019s just now finding his legs, and his rhythm, and the best is yet to come.<\/p>\n

That would certainly move the needle for this Patriots team, their outlook, and push for the postseason.<\/p>\n

What was on display in Buffalo was vintage Diggs. He spearheaded the Patriots 23-20 upset of the previously unbeaten Bills.<\/p>\n

He was dominant, dependable and clutch. After a while, the Bills knew where Drake Maye was going with the ball. They knew it was headed to No. 8 at every critical turn, and they needed to stop him.<\/p>\n

They failed. Diggs, who caught 10 passes for 146 yards, couldn\u2019t be covered. He won from the slot, the X and Z receiver positions.<\/p>\n

He generated a ton of offense. It brought back memories of Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, and how they could single-handedly impact a game.<\/p>\n

Diggs showed a quickness we hadn\u2019t seen over the course of the first four games.<\/p>\n

He showed a natural feel for finding space against zone coverage, and once he got his hands on the football, churned out yards after catch.<\/p>\n

Seven of his 10 catches went for 10 or more yards.<\/p>\n

Against Carolina the previous week, Diggs caught six passes for 101 yards. While that was certainly good, what he did against the Bills was on another level.<\/p>\n

Speaking with the media Wednesday, Diggs said he didn\u2019t know what the future held, but he was certain of his role, and what he needed to provide.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to get open and catch the ball,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see where the chips fall at the end of the year. But I\u2019m not too concerned about it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Diggs was on for 30 offensive snaps against the Bills, and Maye targeted him in nearly 50 percent of those snaps.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest reason to feel that Diggs\u2019 performance wasn\u2019t a one-off, is the rapidly growing chemistry he shares with Maye.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve quickly established an unspoken connection.<\/p>\n

If Maye\u2019s on the run, or scrambling to avoid the pass rush, Diggs instinctively knows where he needs to be.<\/p>\n

He knows how to find space.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing the holes in the defense, knowing where guys aren\u2019t, I think it comes from experience,\u201d Diggs said. \u201cWhere the league (had gone), each team now, a lot of guys now play zone, soft zone, and finding the zone is where the league is right now. It\u2019s not too much man-to-man coverage. There\u2019s still sprinkles of it here and there, but being able to know where you are, having a plan, it\u2019s just playing football. I try not to make things over-complicated. It\u2019s still like we\u2019re in the backyard. I\u2019ve been playing football since I was five \u2026 it\u2019s just playing ball.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Maye, meanwhile, said Wednesday it\u2019s been easy establishing such a quick connection with Diggs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest thing is that he\u2019s a receiver that\u2019s easy to throw to. He has great hands,\u201d Maye said. \u201cHe catches different ways – with his body, he turns with the football and makes people miss very easily. It\u2019s very natural. You can just tell he\u2019s played receiver a long time and played at a high level.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSo just trying to put it in his vicinity and he always says, \u2018I got you.\u2019 Just trust that, and I think it will continue to build and build and try to get him in the end zone.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Count on the Saints shading more coverage his way, trying to limit the damage of the Maye-Diggs connection. If Diggs isn\u2019t free, it\u2019ll be up to Maye to find the open guy whether that\u2019s Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Pop Douglas or Kyle Williams.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the beauty of having Diggs emerge as a top gun. It will help Maye and the offense as a whole, and the rest of the receiver room.<\/p>\n

Coming off back-to-back 100-plus yard receiving games – the first Patriots receiver to do so since Edelman in 2019 – it\u2019s certainly a sign that Diggs can\u2019t be taken lightly.<\/p>\n

The receiver, however, says he hasn\u2019t necessarily been lifted by those performances.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all. I expect to get open. I expect to have success. I expect to get open and catch the ball. It\u2019s part of my job,\u201d he said. \u201cOne game doesn\u2019t roll over into another. Everybody plays different \u2026 each week will look different, the complexion of the defense and the team. I gotta get back to work \u2026 I\u2019m just trying to approach it the same way.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Diggs also downplayed how he was able to gain a ton of yards after catch, looking more like a spry youngster, than a 31-year-old coming off ACL surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve been doing it long enough, I should know how to make guys miss,\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cMy skillset and what I\u2019m able to do, I just try to put it on display consistently.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Mostly, Diggs seems to love being the alpha, being a mentor, and spreading his knowledge – and enthusiasm – with his teammates.<\/p>\n

Beating the Bills was just the beginning.<\/p>\n

He believes we haven\u2019t seen anything yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to continue to build this thing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re in a cool spot \u2026 there\u2019s a lot of things we can learn from the tape. We can be better.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
    \n
  • NFL Picks Week 6: Patriots vs. Saints<\/em><\/li>\n
  • \u2018Got to be better:\u2019 Patriots understand what\u2019s holding offense back<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Bill Belichick, UNC issue statements disputing departure rumors<\/em><\/li>\n
  • Patriots missing two defensive starters in first practice<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If it’s more of the same from Stefon Diggs,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":105161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: If vintage Stefon Diggs keeps showing up for the Patriots the AFC could be in serious trouble. 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