New England Patriots
“I was blacking out, bro.”
Stefon Diggs spent a majority of Sunday’s primetime win against the Ravens shredding apart Baltimore’s secondary.
But for a portion of the first quarter, the 32-year-old Patriots wide receiver was sequestered in New England’s blue medical talent along the sideline for testing.
At first, it looked as though Diggs was due for a routine check-up after fighting through contact and appearing to hurt his shoulder off a 25-yard pickup through the air.
But after missing some time in the tent to undergo testing, NBC’s Melissa Starks noted on the Sunday Night Football broadcast that Diggs “eventually escaped out the back” of the tent before getting cleared for game action.
Speaking after New England’s 28-24 win, Diggs explained his early exit from the tent in a conversation with Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.
“I was blacking out, bro,” Diggs told Kyed. “They were holding me in the tent. They said I had a concussion, but they never touched my head, I never laid on the ground. They monitored me for a concussion. I said, ‘I never had a concussion.’ I was touching my shoulder, so how y’all say I had a concussion? I was fighting with them to get back out there.
“It was the first drive. I’m wired to get back out there to make plays for my team. We had a little stall, so I was like, ‘Damn, I’m supposed to be out there.’ I feel like I let the team down if I’m not out there. I apologized to them afterwards, but you can’t stop me from being out on the field.”
Whatever ailment Diggs was dealing with off that first catch didn’t hinder him out on the field.
Even though Diggs didn’t reel in a touchdown, he played an essential part in New England’s comeback victory — making nine catches for 138 yards in the win.
Several of his catches helped New England move the chains during critical third and fourth-down situations.
Just two plays before Rhamondre Stevenson gave New England the lead for good with a 21-yard touchdown run with 2:15 left in regulation, it was Diggs who kept New England’s rally alive — snagging a risky throw from Drake Maye on 4th-and-2 and taking it 21 yards down the field.
“People have no idea what you know he means to this team,” Maye said postgame. “He’s a leader. He’s been great in the locker room. He wants the football in his hand … he just keeps showing up and making plays, and he’s doing it at a really high level. He’s just bouncing back and vocal, and he’s awesome to play with.”
Sunday marked the third time this season that Diggs has surpassed triple digits in receiving yards this season. But the former All-Pro wideout had largely gone quiet down the stretch prior to this breakout performance on primetime TV.
Over his last three games prior to Sunday’s showdown in Baltimore, Diggs had only reeled in eight combined catches for just 72 total yards before elevating a banged-up wideout corps on Sunday Night Football.
“I’ve been in the league a little while now, I kind of understand what’s going on, and I have some good ability,” Diggs said during NBC’s postgame coverage. “I got some talent that God’s given me. I’m extremely blessed, but I work at it. I nurture that talent. I think it’s important that you grind hard, you put the time in, and it’s a reflection of your teammates, too.
“I feel like I’m only accountable because I know my guys are watching me and like, Who are you when nobody’s around? Are you continuing to work hard? You taking care of your body? So in those situations, I love it. I want the ball.”
While Diggs has emerged as New England’s top wideout this year, the veteran credited Mike Vrabel for the role he’s played in settling the culture for a Patriots team now back in the postseason for the first time since 2021.
“I really just give all the credit to the team,” Diggs said on NBC. “I feel like Vrabes is doing something really special as far as with the identity and what [we’re] built off of and the consistency. We run sprints every Wednesday. As an older player, you like, ‘man, do I feel like running sprints?’ But it’s not just the sprints. It’s the mentality.
“Like when you go into games like this and you’re tired, and you’ve got leaders like Mack Hollins, even Drake Maye as a young quarterback, being poised and being that positive force behind him, I feel like there’s a lot of carry over. That stuff matters to me. I feel like being a leader is just part of being me, and they let me be me.”
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