For the Patriots, the trek to Buffalo on Sunday night for a nationally televised game against the undefeated Bills will represent a bit of a measuring stick for a team that has played better than its 2-2 record would suggest, a group that is hoping that it’s starting to jell after a 42-13 drubbing of the Panthers on Sunday. But for former Bills star Stefon Diggs, it represents a bit more than that.
It’s what he hopes is a full-circle moment against a team for which he had some of his best NFL moments, playing four seasons, making the Pro Bowl all four years and earning two All-Pro nods. Diggs led the NFL with 127 catches and 1,535 yards in his first year after he was traded from Minnesota to Buffalo, and averaged 1,343 yards and 9.3 touchdowns in four seasons.
The Bills, in a salary crunch, traded Diggs with a fifth- and sixth-round pick to Houston for a second-rounder before the 2024 season, a season which ended with an ACL tear in Week 8.
Diggs played the Bills last season, catching six passes for a team-high 82 yards in a narrow win, but that game was in Houston. Sunday with the Patriots will make his first return to Buffalo as a visitor.
Patriots-Bills Will be ‘Sentimental’ for Stefon Diggs
Diggs is oscillating between excitement for the matchup and trying to keep the focus on an attempt at an upset against one of the top AFC contenders of the season.
âTo me, obviously, itâs a little sentimental. I spent a lot of time there,â Diggs said. âIâm real familiar with the staff, familiar with the guys there. The guys that Iâve maintained a relationship with, Iâm looking forward to seeing them play. Itâs going to be a little bit emotional.
âI try to keep the main thing the main thing, but itâs my first time back there. Itâs going to be a hell of an atmosphere. I was a part of that for a long time. I played there before I got there. So, Iâm excited.â
Stefon Diggs Had Best Game in Week 4
Diggs is coming off his best game as a Patriots, as he has built up his rapport with quarterback Drake Maye while, at the same time, building up the strength and trust in his knee as he nears the one-year mark from his surgery. Diggs had 101 yards against Carolina on Sunday, and is the team’s leading receiver with 231 yards through four games.
That puts him in a good position heading into Buffalo.
“Itâs gonna be a crazy atmosphere,” Diggs said. “Obviously, I spent a lot of years there, you know what Iâm saying? They got one of the best fan bases in the game, if not the best fan base. So, shout-out to them. I just feel like itâs going to be exciting, I feel like we gotta do the same thing we did last week, get back to basics. Theyâre a hell of a football team.
“Real good football team, well-coached football team, a lot of good players over there, shout-out to Josh (Allen). I look forward to the challenge, the guys look forward to the challenge. It is going to be a good test for us.”
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