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Sep 7, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) practices before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Stefon Diggs Grateful To Make Patriots Debut

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 1:35 PM ET

After tearing his ACL on October 29 as a member of the Houston Texans, Stefon Diggs had plenty of time to think about the game of football from the sideline.

Months later, the New England Patriots wide receiver suited up for the team's Week 1 loss against the Las Vegas Raiders, and while Diggs' statistical production didn't light up the scoreboard, he felt grateful to return to the game he missed so much.

"I felt good," Diggs said at his locker after Wednesday's practice. "I actually missed the contact portion of it as far as getting hit a little bit, so I looked forward to getting back out there. I’m more thankful than anything."

The Patriots fell to the visiting Raiders 20-13 on Sunday, and Diggs (six catches, 57 yards) wasn't the focus of the team's passing attack. Third-year wideouts Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas were the ones to get the yards and touchdowns. Diggs, on the other hand, was proud of his journey off the field.

"I hate losing — obviously, I wasn’t too happy about that — but at the same time, I took a lot from it as far as me being back out there, getting acclimated again and getting some contact and catching the ball again. It’s going to be a lot of fun," Diggs said. "We weren’t winning, so for a moment I couldn’t be too happy. But as far as like, this isn’t a selfish sport, for me, I took my little moment to be grateful and kind of bask in the ambiance of where I was."

Quarterback Drake Maye targeted Diggs seven times in the loss, but there were times the 31-year-old wide receiver was open throughout the game. He's expected to remain one of New England's top options in the passing attack in 2025.

Diggs also remarked that — win or lose — he's appreciative of getting back in between the white lines.

"I’m back doing doing what I love. Trying to play at a high level, getting open, catching the ball. I had my moments where I was like, ‘Damn, I missed it so much,'" Diggs said. "I’m just so thankful to be back where I love to be. I had that moment, but at the same time, we were losing, so it was bittersweet."

Diggs added that there's a level of uncertainty when Week 1 rolls around each year. The Raiders came into Gillette Stadium a whole new team -- a brand new head coach, a brand new quarterback and a brand new identity. Diggs reiterated that outsiders need to realize that.

“That first game, you get out there, you haven’t seen these guys. You can watch tape from last year, you can watch the preseason, but it’s always a tale of two stories. For us, the things that we need to fix is more us rather than anything. It’s never really the other team,” Diggs said.

How can the Patriots start to win? Diggs says it's all about how the team adjusts to adversity. For him, the wide receiver appears more like a farmhand during that internal process.

"We live in that realm of just farming your own land. I try to farm my own land — be where you’re supposed to be, be open, catch the ball, and we’ll kind of figure it out from there," Diggs said. "So the fixes that we can do, I feel like it’s more internal and just with us. Trying to take that next step and just doing our part."

He'll try to reap what the Patriots offense sows in Week 2 in Miami, and beyond during his first season in New England.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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