Wide receiver Stefon Diggs‘ first season in New England has gone swimmingly. The four-time Pro Bowler has emerged as quarterback Drake Maye‘s favorite target during a surprising 10-2 start for the Patriots, winners of nine in a row and currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The Patriots’ decision to sign Diggs to a three-year, $69MM deal last March came after an injury-shortened campaign with the Texans. Playing his lone season in Houston, the former Viking and Bill tore his ACL in Week 8 and didn’t return.
Diggs recovered quickly enough to return for Week 1 this season, and his knee hasn’t hampered him at all during New England’s scorching start. The 32-year-old has appeared in all 12 of the Patriots’ games and piled up 61 catches on 75 targets, 679 yards, and three scores.
While Diggs’ knee hasn’t been a problem this year, that doesn’t mean he’s at full strength. A few days before the Patriots’ win over the Bengals last Sunday, Diggs told reporters that he has been playing through a fractured finger for a couple of weeks (via Mike Reiss of ESPN). That seems like a concerning injury for a pass catcher, but Diggs downplayed the severity.
“Least of my worries,” Diggs said.
Diggs had one of his quietest games of the year in Cincinnati, which held him to two catches for 20 yards on three targets. He and the Patriots’ other main receivers (Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, and Demario Douglas) largely took a backseat to tight end Hunter Henry, who led the way with seven grabs, 115 yards, and a score.
Looking to put together a 10-game winning streak for the first time since the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, the Patriots will head into a Week 13 meeting with the Giants on Monday. The Pats have a bye after that, which will give Diggs’ finger extra time to heal as he and the team push for a division title and the top spot in the conference.