Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs has hit a rough patch of the season, dealing with a dip in production and a spate of drops including some of them in critical situations.
Diggs spoke out this week, admitting that his struggles make him feel “furious” at times but that he doesn’t believe he has seen any kind of personal dropoff in his play.
“It’s not because of me,” Diggs told reporters on December 14, via Tim Graham of The Athletic.
Diggs has hit a slump at a critical time, with the 7-6 Bills fighting for a playoff spot and hosting an NFC powerhouse on December 17.
Stefon Diggs: ‘I Get Furious’
As Graham wrote, Diggs had a torrid start to the season. Through the first six games, he was on pace for 139 catches for a season with 1,757 yards and 14 touchdowns. Over the next seven games, Diggs had the exact same number of targets — 66 — but his production put him on a season pace for 92 catches for 906 yards and seven touchdowns.
Diggs has also struggled with drops, including some in critical situations like one in the final minutes of last Sunday’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Bills quarterback Josh Allen targeted Diggs on a screen just before the two minute-warning, but the drop allowed the Chiefs to stop the clock without having to use an additional timeout.
“I’m not going to lie,” Diggs said. “I get furious out there, like, want to say the F-word, but you know exactly what I mean.”
Diggs admitted that teams aren’t treating him any differently, that he’s still seeing double teams like he did earlier in the season, but the production just isn’t there in recent games.
“It’s rough, man,” Diggs said. “Even earlier in the year, I saw a lot of the doubles, but they’ve been doing a great job, especially when you put those first seven to eight games on tape of what you like to do. They’ve been doing a good job.
“For me, personally, I’ve been trying, bro. I promise you I’ve been trying. It’s not because of me.”
Josh Allen Stands by Top Receiver
While Diggs may be frustrated by his mid-season slump, it does not appear to be causing too much concern within the team. Allen told reporters that he is “not worried” about Diggs getting back on track, noting that the team has done a good job of taking advantage of opportunities and saying he believes they will get back to it.
“There is no secret Stef’s our best player,” Allen said. “He’s first in our reads in a lot of our concepts. He does a great job of getting open.
“There’s been some opportunities we haven’t cashed in on that — nine out of 10 times — we usually do. I’m not worried about that. We’re going to keep working hard and keep giving him his opportunities and targets, and everybody else is going to make some plays too.”
Stefon Diggs says don’t count out battle-tested Bills as they prepare to host the Cowboys (from @AP) t.co/q0GWfAAEwL
Diggs was also confident in his team as they prepared to host the 10-3 Dallas Cowboys, saying his team has already been through a lot this season and they’re ready for the test.
“We battled a lot, been battle-tested. And it’s a big thing being battled-tested,” Diggs said, via The Associated Press.
The Bills could have a good chance to take an important step toward their quest for a playoff spot. Heavy projections powered by Quarter4 give the Bills a 55% win probability against the Cowboys.
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Bills WR Stefon Diggs Breaks Silence on Slump: ‘It’s Not Because of Me’