What's fueled Stefon Diggs' record-setting start to his Bills career

After racing out to a 10-0 lead over the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium, the offense went into a deep freeze.

A streak of four consecutive possessions before halftime lasted four plays or less, before a field goal at the end of the second quarter pushed the Bills’ lead to 13-7.

Things didn’t start out much better in the third quarter, as the first three drives failed to produce any points. The last of those ended with a 7-yard punt, which set up the Jets for a field goal to cut the Buffalo lead to 13-10 and had everyone in Western New York asking, “The Bills can’t really lose this game, can they?”

On the home sideline, Stefon Diggs wouldn’t have any of that kind of talk. The Bills’ star receiver gathered his offensive teammates for a huddle before they went back on the field.

“He knew we were better than that, and it was time to show it,” wide receivers coach Chad Hall.

Since Diggs was traded to Buffalo during the 2020 offseason, he’s produced in a way no other receiver has over their first two years with a new team. Diggs has made 230 catches in the regular season, setting an NFL record (the old one of 223 was set by New England’s Wes Welker in 2007-08) and combining with quarterback Josh Allen to form one of the best duos in the NFL at their respective positions.

“When those two really good players, or any two good players can get on the same page like those two have, I think it's it's fun to watch,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “Usually the results are good. I think their best football, personally, is ahead of them because of the rapport that they continue to build on a daily basis in the way that those two are developing in their own right. They've been a great duo for us.”

For as impressive as everything Diggs has accomplished on the field has been, however, it’s his development off the field that has perhaps most impressed Hall.

“He first led by example, to kind of find his way, but he's become such a great, vocal leader,” Hall said. That goes for “way more than the receiver room. He's a captain. He goes up and down that sideline more than anybody else we got who is a captain, talking up the defense, rooting for them, getting on the O-line and then congratulating them.

“Just like last week, we were in a funk, just on his own, he called the whole offense up on the sideline and demanded what we needed. Then we go down and score. He's just got that presence.”

After Diggs’ pep talk, the Bills’ offense scored touchdowns on its next two possessions to close out a 27-10 victory and clinch a second consecutive AFC East championship.

“It comes from a really positive place, which is helpful for everybody, the whole team. He demands a lot, he expects a lot from everybody, and he holds people accountable,” Hall said. “It would be different if he didn't do the same, but he expects even more and demands even more out of himself. So people see that, people know that, so when he speaks, people listen.

“I don't know if it’s out of character for a receiver. Leaders are leaders and captains are captains. He's a leader. They come from all positions. … When it's time to go and we need a boost offensively or defensively, he's usually the one who does it. That's a credit to him. You need those vocal leaders. It's not an easy thing to do. Sometimes people don't want to do it, but you've got to do it. Our team needs it. He's been a blessing for us.”

Better than advertised

Whenever a team considers bringing in a new player – be it through the draft, free agency, waivers or trade – it has to ask itself a few questions. No. 1, how will that player fit in the scheme? Specifically for a receiver, how do their skills pair with the quarterback’s strengths? No. 2, how will that player fit in the locker room? The Bills place a high value on work ethic and what they call “football character,” meaning a love for the game is a must.

Clearly, Diggs checked those boxes when the team sent a first-round pick to Minnesota, along with assorted other draft picks, to acquire him.

Until he actually arrived, though, it would have been impossible to know the relationship would blossom in the way that it has.

“When you get new players on our team whether it's by draft or free agency … it's a clean slate for everybody,” offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said. “Then it's your job as a leader to develop a relationship with your new players. Once you've developed that relationship, that's when the trust falls into place. Trust is important in our business. That leads to respect, it leads to accountability, and there's good give and take, because you can have sincere and truthful conversations. I think when you respect somebody and you treat them the right way, that goes a long way.

"He's done everything we've asked him to do. He's incredibly smart. He's obviously gifted. The old adage, ‘The more you can do, the more you can do,’ and we certainly ask him to do a lot.”

In exploring what has made Diggs so effective in Buffalo, trust is the word that came up more than any other. It’s clear Allen has it in his receiver, and perhaps just as importantly, Diggs has it in his quarterback.

“I think I've played with like four or five quarterbacks, so I've had experiences just building new relationships,” Diggs said. “Running routes for multiple guys different ways, doing it their way, adjusting, getting to know guys, because the more you kind of get to know a guy off the field, the better you'll play on the field, in my opinion.”

By now, it’s been well established that Diggs’ divorce from Minnesota wasn’t exactly amicable. He wanted the ball more, and wasn’t shy about making his feelings known. To his credit, Diggs learned from that situation and applied it to his current situation.

“As far as building that relationship, off the field, it's imperative in any situation, especially that receiver-quarterback,” Diggs said. “I've had a multitude of quarterbacks, so it's like this, ‘All right, how do I approach this situation, especially when I first got here?’ No other than I did before, but it was a fresh start and you never know what's going to happen – sometimes it goes extremely well and sometimes it doesn't.

"I'm pretty sure (there were) more people that didn't want it to go well than to go well, so to see it come out on the back end and be like, 'Yeah, things are good.' It was meant to happen that way.”

A good sign of Diggs’ relationship with Allen was shown last week. After he made nine catches for 81 yards and a touchdown, the quarterback was asked how often his receiver was texting him during the week to make sure he knew he needed six catches, which would take Diggs’ season total to 100 and unlock $1.55 million in contract incentive that will come in the form of increases in his 2022 and 2023 base salaries, $750,000 and $800,000, respectively.

“What bonus money?” the quarterback deadpanned after the game. “To be honest, he didn’t send me any. I sent him a couple. Everybody who plays this game, obviously they love the game, but there's also the payment aspect of it and when you’ve got a guy in that type of situation, I'm not saying I'll try to force him the ball but I might have given him a little extra second his way on some of these routes and just give him some opportunities tonight. But if it was anybody in that situation, I would have tried to do the same thing.”

That type of approach from a team’s quarterback goes a long way in the locker room.

“I feel like I'm blessed to be in the position that I am,” Diggs said. “I'm thankful for God and everybody involved, my coaches, my quarterback, and everybody – my other receivers that helped me get open as well. … The accolades along the way, it's always going to be fun, but just got to continue to push, continue to get better, and, you know, hopefully, break some more records.”

'He's that alpha'

Diggs has been durable during his time in Buffalo, playing in all 33 regular-season games and three postseason games. That includes playing through a torn oblique at the end of last season.

“He works his butt off,” Hall said. “He made sure he was available for every single game, and that's half of it. That's a credit to him, and then there's the ability to go out there and make plays. That's what Stef has done his whole career.”

Diggs’ final numbers – 103 catches, 1,225 yards and 10 touchdowns – could have been even bigger, Allen said.

“Throughout the year, I know he didn't have as many targets and receptions as he did last year and maybe that was a little bit by design just to try to keep him fresh in the hopes that we have an opportunity to be in the playoffs,” the quarterback said. “He looks really good and I want to try to throw it to him as much as much as possible because with the ball in his hands, you never know what's going to happen.”

Bills fans will be anxious to find out Saturday night when the New England Patriots visit Highmark Stadium for an AFC wild-card playoff game. Diggs is 3-1 against the Patriots in his Bills career, and has 26 catches for 373 yards and four touchdowns in those games.

“The relationship is important, and I think they have one on and off the field,” Daboll said of Diggs and Allen. “They've worked extremely hard these last two years, throwing and catching, talking during the meetings and being on the same page. They'll continue to do that. For a short time, obviously he's been a productive player here the first couple years on a new team. It's him, along with all the other people that are surrounding him, but obviously Josh plays an important piece to that, as does Stef.”

Hall said the communication between Diggs and Allen extends beyond just the week. During games, they see things similarly, according to Hall, and that in turn will lead to them altering their approach, when necessary.

“They have that feel,” Hall said. “Josh has the ability to read Stef’s body language. I think that all goes together. Josh is just so talented and also so likeable, and again, the communication they have is special. I think that's what helps set them apart. Josh is a really talented player and gets along with everybody. He's got that kind of charisma, and so does Stef, really.

"Stef is really smart, really likable, and he loves to compete. I haven't been around a guy who loves to compete and is more serious about competing and winning than him. He wants to win every single play. That's just his attitude. You love him for it. He's that alpha. He's that dog.”