Stefon Diggs wants the Patriots offense to stay mad – even after a win.
If anyone in New England’s locker room knows about how to put points on the board as a team, it’s Diggs: when he joined the Buffalo Bills in 2020, they ranked third in the league in touchdowns. They were a top-seven scoring team every season he played there.
So, while the wide receiver was cheerful at his locker on Wednesday before practice and playfully answered he “may have heard” about rumors that he’s reportedly expecting a child with partner Cardi B, he believes the offense found something in the way they cracked down to prepare against the Dolphins after their initial Week 1 loss.
“The recipe we had last week – we came in with that kind of pissed off mindset of we fell short the first week,” he said. “We all wanted to be perfect and do things the right way as far as finishing and having the right mindset.”
Using that anger as wind at their backs, the Patriots offense put up more than 30 points for the first time since the winter of 2022.
It helped that they played a dysfunctional Miami team and quarterback Drake Maye was only pressured 10% of the times he passed. But looking ahead to Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has given up more rushing and passing yards through two weeks than the Dolphins have.
Quarterback Drake Maye agreed the offense’s recent fast start – posting 12 unanswered points in the first quarter – came as a result of being a little hot-headed.
“We just felt like we left a lot out there [against the Raiders].
I think we, like I said, came with some fire in Week 2,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “You’ve got to keep that mindset. It starts out here in practice. It starts this week.”
New England has a chance to build momentum behind their offense in Week 3. They kept the defense more honest on Sunday with a stellar Rhamondre Stevenson game, and bumped their run play calls up to over 50% - a much more balanced approach than in Week 1.
Curiously, slot receiver DeMario Douglas was only on the field for 15 snaps in Week 2. That’s a big drop from his 45 against the Raiders the Sunday before. Whether that’s the product of a specific game plan or a preference for lineups including Mack Hollins, Diggs in the slot, or more Austin Hooper remains to be seen.
Diggs said he’s trying to avoid “the chatter,” and just do what’s asked of him by coaches.
“I want to be a key point in this offense in terms of being a sail when things are going in the right direction. We’ve got a young team, we’re out there fighting, we’re out there getting on the same page. You see things clicking here and there, so, I just want to be a part of it. I’m just trying to do what I’m asked and be consistent,” he said. “Having a young quarterback that can ball, just trying to be at the right spot for him and getting that confidence throughout games, I think it’s going to pay dividends for us.”