Patriots Receiver Sends Message With Milestone In Sight
Diggs is 30 yards shy of 1,000 yards
Stefon Diggs signed with the New England Patriots in the offseason, and he has been a great addition to the team. He is 30 yards shy of a 1,000-yard season.
This 1,000-yard season for Diggs may mean a little bit more than his previous six. He tore his ACL last season, and teams doubted the star receiver’s ability to be a No. 1 option after a serious injury going into his age-32 season.
Diggs has been motivated to prove himself this season, and as he approached the 1,000-yard mark, he spoke about what it would mean to reach it.
“Reaching that milestone would be, I feel like individual success breeds team success. But it’s been a long way,” Diggs told MassLive’s Mark Daniels after Sunday’s win. “I told you all in the beginning of the year, I wasn’t aiming for numbers. I just wanted to win. I still want to win. If it’s in the cards for me next week, fingers crossed, but I’m going to go in with the mindset that I just want to win, and I’m going to do everything I can to win.”
Even the Patriots had doubts about Diggs’ ability after the ACL tear. The team reportedly pursued other options before landing Diggs, and after the Patriots win over the Baltimore Ravens, Diggs admitted he knew about that.
“Yeah, they were thinking about signing those other guys,” Diggs told Daniels after the Ravens game. “And I know all those other guys they were thinking about signing.”
The Patriots still have plenty to play for in Week 18 despite already clinching the AFC East and a home playoff game. They can clinch the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a win and a Denver Broncos loss.
It’s hard to imagine the Patriots having this much success without Diggs. He has been a great leader and has proven he can still be an elite receiver. With Mack Hollins on injured reserve now, Diggs will play an even bigger role.
