New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots took down the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16, and one of the stars of the game was wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The veteran pass catcher led all receivers with nine receptions for 138 yards in this one, and in the process, he took a big step towards reaching an important milestone.
There was some skepticism about the Patriots’ decision to sign Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract in free agency over the offseason, but he’s been everything the team could have realistically hoped for, both on and off the field.
In 15 games now, Diggs has racked up 76 receptions for 869 yards and three touchdowns. Diggs is just 131 yards away from reaching the 1,000-receiving-yard mark, and if he manages to accomplish that feat over the team’s final two games, he would be the first New England wide receiver to reach that mark since Julian Edelman did so back in 2019.
“Stefon Diggs needs 131 more yards to become the first Patriots WR with 1,000+ receiving yards since Julian Edelman in 2019,” Daniel Rotman shared in a post on X.
Diggs isn’t putting up the sorts of numbers he was posting during his prime, but that is simply due to how the Patriots’ offense operates. Drake Maye is constantly looking to find the open man, but more often than not, Diggs has been his go-to guy in do-or-die situations.
New England doesn’t need Diggs to rack up 100+ receiving yards every game, but when he is called upon to do so, he has proven on several occasions that he can be the sort of de facto No. 1 wide receiver this team has lacked in recent years. Diggs will look to have another big game vs. the New York Jets when the team returns to action in Week 17.
