New England Patriots - NESN.com
Just one day prior to the one-year anniversary of his ACL tear, wide receiver Stefon Diggs scored his first touchdown in a New England Patriots uniform.
Other than the score, Sunday was a quiet day for Diggs, as the four-time Pro Bowler had a season-low 14 receiving yards and tied his low mark for the year with three receptions.
The 31-year-old has exceeded expectations this fall with the Patriots, however, as he leads the team by a wide margin in targets (49) and catches (42), while pacing the group in receiving yards (470) as well.
Chad Graff of The Athletic had heavy praise for Diggs on Thursday, including him on his list of “The 6 Patriots players most exceeding expectations.”
“Diggs has done more than simply exceed expectations for a wide receiver in his age-32 season, coming off an ACL tear. He has helped flip the entire culture of the team’s wide receiver group, which needed a change. Somehow, even though he suffered his ACL tear late last October, Diggs is on pace for another 1,000-yard season,” the senior writer said. “The Patriots took a bit of a risk in signing Diggs, given the recent injury, but so far, he has been everything the team could have hoped.”
Quarterback Drake Maye has rightfully earned endless fanfare for his MVP-caliber play, but it’s notable that his favorite target’s back-to-back 100-yard efforts in Weeks 4 and 5 (his first since the 2023 campaign) coincided with the start of New England’s five-game winning streak.
Diggs isn’t the same player he once was during his Pro Bowl days from 2020-23, but he’s been exactly what the Patriots’ receiving room needed.
