Buffalo Bills star wide receiver Stefon Diggs did a disappearing act in the second half of the 2023 regular season which would have made Houdini jealous. Week 6, against the New York Giants, was the last time he recorded 100+ yards in a game, reaching that plateau in five out of the first six games of the season.
The last time he caught a touchdown was in Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles. His drop in production was certainly surprising and stark, as he didn’t come close to putting up WR1 numbers for several months.
Despite Diggs not being a major part of the offense, the Bills still managed to finish the season on a high note. They won five games in a row to close out the regular season and win the AFC East and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Wild Card Weekend.
NFL NEWS & RUMORS: Brandon Beane, Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills Updates
Following their defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs during the Divisional Round, speculation began about the future of Diggs. Would the Bills look to move him at some point or was he still part of their long-term plans?
Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane recently answered that question, via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN. He provided a definitive statement on what the team thinks about Diggs, as they seem to be as confident in ever that he will get the job done.
“Stef’s, he’s a No. 1 receiver. I firmly believe that, not wavering off of that,” Beane said. “… Listen, we have to continue to put weapons out there to keep teams from bracketing him or, you know, locking him down in different ways to take him away. They know you are going to want him. Stef can still play, I’m sure he would love to have that deep ball again, he’d be the first to tell you. He’s super competitive, he’s going to work his tail off this offseason. I know there’s various reasons or questions on this or his production, all that, but I still see Stef as a No. 1 receiver.”
The deep ball in which Beane is referencing came on Sunday against the Chiefs. Josh Allen launched a pass Diggs’ direction, which traveled 63.4 air yards according to ESPN. The ball went through Diggs’ hands and the drive continued from their own 20-yard line.
NFL NEWS & RUMORS: Brandon Beane, Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills Updates
That was the final offensive drive of the season for the Bills, as Tyler Bass ended up missing a 44-yard field goal, which would have tied the game. It was a tough way to end the season for Buffalo and Diggs, who came into it with Super Bowl aspirations.
Opponents knew Diggs was the only consistent wide receiver on the team and did everything they could to slow him down. It worked in the second half of the season, as he averaged 41 yards per game over the last seven weeks and didn’t caught a touchdown. It is the longest touchdown drought of his career.
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