Stefon Diggs torched the Bills in his Buffalo return, showed he's a true No.1 for Drake Maye, Patriots

Stefon Diggs made his return to Buffalo with the New England Patriots on Sunday night, and showed his former team -- and the rest of the NFL -- he's still a stud receiver. Diggs was Drake Maye's favorite target in the quarterback's breakout performance, and the wideout's big game helped lead the Patriots to a massive 23-20 upset win over the Bills on their home field.

Highmark Stadium was Diggs' home for the four best seasons of his NFL career, and he spent the last week saying he'd have a lot of extra emotions in his first game back in Buffalo since the Bills traded him to the Texans ahead of the 2024 season. Diggs is now catching a lot of passes from Maye for New England, and had his biggest game yet against his old squad.

Diggs caught the first pass of the game for 15 yards, which was just a sign of things to come. He ended his night with 10 catches on 12 targets for 146 yards, and eight of those receptions resulted in first downs for the Patriots. Two others set New England up deep in Buffalo territory and resulted in touchdowns in the second half. 

It let Diggs play villain in front of the fans who used to cheer for him every Sunday. After the win, Diggs said he enjoyed hearing it from Bills Mafia, which further fueled his fire in Week 5. 

"I love football, and when it gets loud, it kind of gets quiet for me," Diggs told reporters after the win. "I think when it gets super loud, I'm just trying to hone in my details. I want to win every rep. It doesn't bother me too much. 

"They love you one day, they hate you the next," noted Diggs. "They're going to love you again. I spent a lot of time here. I respect the dynamic. I used to be here, I'm not here no more, but I guess I miss you too."

Diggs' biggest reception set up third-quarter touchdown for Patriots

Diggs had only three catches for 33 yards at halftime, as the Patriots held on to a 6-3 lead. But he really broke out in the second half.

Diggs made a nice sliding catch to bring in Maye's first pass of the third quarter, which went for a 16-yard pickup. A few plays later, he showed off a nice array of moves as he looped, cut, and made a nice curl to get open for a 32-yard downfield strike from Maye that set the Patriots up at the Buffalo 4-yard line.

Rhamondre Stevenson ran it in on the next play to put the Patriots on top, 13-10 midway through the third quarter.

Diggs set up another Patriots touchdown

After the Patriots got the ball back thanks to a Marcus Jones interception, The Stefon Diggs Show continued for the New England offense. The Patriots turned that Allen turnover into an 11-play, 90-yard touchdown drive because of catches like this from Diggs:

That reception came on third-and-7 and resulted in 10 yards for the Patriots. When Maye needed someone to make a play, he went to Diggs.

It continued when Maye went short to Diggs on a second-and-11, and the receiver took care of the rest for a 30-yard gain down to the Buffalo 6-yard line.

That set up yet another Stevenson touchdown run, which put the Patriots on top, 20-10, with 12 minutes to play.

Stefon Diggs: Safety blanket for Drake Maye

How strong is the trust between Maye and Diggs? With the game on the line, the QB went to No. 8.

After Maye somehow escaped Buffalo's DaQuan Jones with a righteous stiff-arm, he quickly went Diggs' way to really turn the play into a huge positive for New England.

It was Diggs' final catch of the night, and it was massive in helping New England set up Andy Borregales' game-winning, 52-yard field goal. It also showed Maye's play-making abilities, which Diggs praised after the win.

"I saw a young quarterback take a step in the right direction," Diggs said of Maye's effort in Week 5. "It's a hell of a comparison to be compared to Josh [Allen]. But as you come into your own, Drake Maye has to be Drake Maye. I was just super proud of him, coming in and leading this team."

Diggs is less than a year removed from tearing his ACL with the Houston Texans, making his massive output over the last two weeks -- 16 receptions for 247 yards -- all the more impressive.

"He loves the game, and he's got a lot in the tank left," Maye said of Diggs after the win. "So it's good that he's a Patriot."  

Diggs has now put up back-to-back 100-yard games for the Patriots, making him the first New England wide receiver to do so since Julian Edelman in 2019. Diggs' 146 yards on Sunday are the most for any Patriots wideout since 2022, when DeVante Parker had 156 yards in a game for New England. 

Stefon Diggs addresses viral side-eye meme with Josh Allen

The Patriots social media team had a little fun with Diggs' big return to Buffalo, sharing the famous meme from last season that showed the receiver giving Allen a bit of a side look as the two shared some time on the field after Diggs and the Texans beat the Bills in Houston.

Diggs and Allen shared another moment on the field after Sunday's game, and microphones picked up Diggs telling Allen that he loves him. When he took the podium, Diggs cleared the air on that famous picture, which he said was taken out of context.

"That's my dog," he said of the Buffalo quarterback. "Like, obviously, things happen. The business happens. But I spent a lot of time here, and I got a lot of love and respect for that young man. He's a tremendous player. He's one of the boys.

"I always wanted to speak on that photo, because I was staring at him in a moment. Because it was like, 'Damn, that was my brother,'" Diggs explained. "I do got a lot of love and respect for him. It kind of looked like a little side-eye, but that's not what it was."

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• New England Patriots