Pats Pulpit
As Stefon Diggs stood on a snowy Empower Field following the Patriots’ AFC Championship victory, tears streamed down his face.
For Diggs, it was a moment long in the making.
“I fought long and hard, man. It mean the world to me. I mean, I’ve been playing this game since I was 5 years old. Always wanted to be a champion. Always wanted to be a Super Bowl champion. And the opportunity is right there in front of us,” Diggs said.
The Super Bowl appearance will be the first of Diggs’ 11-year career. He came closest five years ago, but instead was left on the field afterwards watching the Kansas City Chiefs celebrate an AFC Championship.
He never returned to the conference title game after that season, was eventually was traded from the Buffalo Bills, and then saw his 2024 campaign cut short by an ACL tear with the Houston Texans — leaving his future uncertain once again.
The long road back ultimately made the moment even sweeter.
“For me, I’ve been in the league 11 years, man. I fell short so many times,” Diggs said. “It’s perfect timing as of right now. I was coming off an ACL injury. New team, new situation, new coaches, new teammates. It all happened exactly how it was supposed to. So, I’m just appreciative and I thank God.”
As Diggs jogged off the field Sunday, he raised one finger in the air and repeatedly mouthed “One more” toward the Patriots fans who crowded along the lower bowl to celebrate the moment.
Reaching the Super Bowl was never the end goal for Diggs, who is now focused on finishing the job with a Lombardi Trophy against the Seattle Seahawks.
“Being able to pull this out, it mean the world to us and I know we going to get back to the grind. I feel like nobody’s satisfied, happy, but not complacent,” Diggs said. “We’re blessed to be where we are, but we know it’s more out there for us. You don’t know how it’s going to shake out, but everybody in that room over there that was celebrating, they want one more.”
