On Monday, star Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs will mark a notable anniversary, though one he might not very much care to spend time remembering. That’s because it was on October 27 of last season when, playing for the Texans in a narrow win over the Colts, Diggs’ career was put on hold because of a torn ACL he suffered in the third quarter.
Diggs did not get to move forward with Houston after having racked up 497 yards and 47 catches in eight games with the team. Worse, he would head into free agency at 31 years old and on a bad knee.
It was a good bit of fortune for the Patriots, of course. A healthy Diggs might have been too expensive for New England, or might have been re-signed by Houston. Or, if healthy, he might have looked to join a ready-made contender rather than taking the Patriots’ three-year, $63.5 million contract with just $22.6 million guaranteed.
Stefon Diggs Injury Worked Out Well for Patriots
But Diggs did sign in New England, and early reports of a smooth and accelerated rehab have proven to be true. Diggs has been outstanding for the Patriots, as a leader in the locker room and as a target on the field for second-year quarterback Drake Maye. He has led the team in receptions (39 on 44 targets) and receiving years (456).
Pro Football Focus rates him the No. 7 receiver in the NFL this season .
Maybe, then, it should come as little surprise that when Diggs was asked by Patriots reporters this week about the approaching anniversary of his knee injury and how he was feeling, he was not in much of a mood to go deep on the topic.
“I’m cool,” Diggs said. “We’ll see.”
Patriots Have Tough Challenge With Browns
Mysterious, for sure. But Diggs has been keeping his focus on getting a win over the Browns, especially with the Patriots riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak. That momentum can be shot through pretty quickly against a Browns team that is 2-5 but dangerous.
Cleveland has the best defense in the NFL , and with rookie running back Quinshon Judkins now hitting his stride, they’re a dangerous bunch. The Browns dismantled Miami, 31-6, last week. Diggs and the Patriots also want to reverse their current position as an undefeated team on the road in four games, but just 1-2 at home.
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)Quinshon Judkins #10 of the Cleveland Browns
Stefon Diggs: ‘You’ve Got to Be on the Details’
Indeed, for the next month-and-a-half, the Patriots will go on the road only twice, in Tampa Bay and in Cincinnati. That’s a span of five games, and if they can win all the games in Foxborough upcoming–and they’ll likely be favored in four of them before facing Buffalo on December 14–the Patriots will all but have the AFC title wrapped up.
But first, Cleveland.
“They’re going to come in with the right mindset of wanting to fly around, wanting to make plays, and you’ve got to be on the details,” Diggs said . “Winning at home, winning on the road, we’ve been road warriors for weeks now. We’ve got to get back to the crib, get back in front of our home crowd and give them something to be proud of. … Building that energy at home is going to be huge going into the later part of the season.”
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