Getty Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills
Over the course of his career, Bills receiver Stefon Diggs has done some serious damage to the Patriots’ defensive backfield. Back in 2020, his first season after leaving Minnesota for Buffalo, Diggs racked up 145 yards on seven catches with three touchdowns on New England. So when the Patriots limited Diggs to only a decent output—58 yards on six catches and a touchdown—there was a minor celebration in the Patriots locker room.
The Patriots’ defensive backfield has not been healthy and all playing together at any point this season, but they had reinforcements on Sunday. And after the game, they were quite happy to remind Diggs of the job they’d just done on him.
Cornerback Jack Jones, who was largely responsible for containing Diggs, said with a grin (via NESN.com), “How many yards did he get? He wasn’t a problem for us.”
Asked Jack Jones about Stefon Diggs after the game.
Jones: “How many yards did he get? He wasn’t a problem for us.”
Diggs finished with six catches on 12 targets for 58 yards and a TD, well short of what he usually averages vs. the Patriots.
What’s more, the Patriots did something few can do to the garrulous Diggs—they literally shut him up. After the game, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Diggs sat at his locker for 45 minutes and never answered questions from reporters.
‘Game Plan’ Helped Patriots Shut Down Stefon Diggs
Jack Jones had been placed on injured reserve to start the season with a hamstring injury, and was making his season debut in Week 7 against Buffalo. He, Jonathan Jones and J.C. Jackson got credit for the relative lack of production the Patriots allowed to Stefon Diggs, who came into the week as one of the best receivers in the game.
Diggs had topped 100 yards receiving in five of his six games, and was averaging 103.3 yards. The patriots gave him extra attention, though.
“Just the game plan,” Jack Jones said after the game. “We go out there and execute the plays but the coaches come up with a great game plan to put us in position to win. So I would say the game plan really.”
Jonathan Jones credited the Patriots’ attitude and approach to the game, something we have not seen as a positive for much of the season.
“Just come in and compete,” Jonathan Jones said. “Compete. Between J.C. [Jackson], me and Jack [Jones], just all of those guys just coming in and competing down after down and just making it hard for him.”
Late-Game Dropped Pass Stung for Buffalo
One thing that might have silenced Stefon Diggs after the game we the 35-yard pass from Josh Allen that he dropped on the Patriots’ 30-yard line with five seconds to play. There were still five seconds on the clock when he made that drop, and Buffalo had a timeout. The Bills could have at least set up with one more shot at a game-rescuing touchdown.
But Diggs did not hold onto the throw and Buffalo ran one more play.
Here’s the Diggs drop…
Safety Jabrill Peppers, who had a strong showing on Sunday, said that the plan was always to let someone else on the Buffalo roster beat them, but not Diggs.
“In certain situations, you have to have high awareness to him,” Peppers told NESN.com. “When you’re banging him and he don’t get the ball early, he kind of gets out of it a little bit. … That’s it. … We take him away and make those other guys beat us, we liked our chances.”