Stefon Diggs on decreased production, increased drops: Its not because of me

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Through his first 66 targets, Stefon Diggs was all-galaxy.

Over his next 66 targets, Diggs’ production wouldn’t send him to the Pro Bowl.

The Buffalo Bills’ top receiver has been double-teamed all season, but his stats have plummeted significantly and he’s dropping passes at the worst rate of his career.

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“It’s not because of me,” Diggs said during a Thursday news conference in which he conceded the past seven games have been “rough” and “frustrating” and his most effective role has been the upbeat, sideline cheerleader.

As long as the Bills are winning, Diggs said, he’s OK with it.

“I’m not going to lie,” Diggs said. “I get furious out there, like, want to say the F-word, but you know exactly what I mean.”

Diggs was a demon to begin the season. Through six games, his yearly pace was 139 catches for 1,757 yards and 14 touchdowns with only three drops and a 74.2 catch percentage. That was with 66 targets.

He has gotten exactly 66 targets over the past seven games, too. Over that span, his numbers would translate to a season stat line of 92 receptions for 906 yards and seven touchdowns.

That roughly was what Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson did last year. The lowest production for any wideout to make the Pro Bowl was Ja’Marr Chase, who caught 87 passes for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns in just 12 games.

“There is no secret, Stef’s our best player,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said. “He’s first in our reads in a lot of our concepts. He does a great job of getting open.

“There’s been some opportunities we haven’t cashed in on that — nine out of 10 times — we usually do. I’m not worried about that. We’re going to keep working hard and keep giving him his opportunities and targets, and everybody else is going to make some plays, too.”

Allen targeted Diggs a game-high 11 times in Sunday’s victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium. Diggs caught four for 24 yards. After halftime, he had an 8-yard reception on the Bills’ first possession, then didn’t catch another on four more targets, dropping two.

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Diggs has dropped five passes over the past seven games, fourth most among all wideouts in that time and a per-game rate that would give him a dozen drops over a full season. His catch percentage over that stretch has plunged nearly 17 points to 57.6 percent.

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Diggs’ eight total drops already match his career high with four games to go.

“It’s rough, man,” Diggs said. “Even earlier in the year, I saw a lot of the doubles, but they’ve been doing a great job, especially when you put those first seven to eight games on tape of what you like to do. They’ve been doing a good job.

“For me, personally, I’ve been trying, bro. I promise you I’ve been trying. It’s not because of me.”

Buffalo’s offense has shown new signs of life since play caller Joe Brady replaced Ken Dorsey a month ago, but that hasn’t meant much for Diggs’ production.

Over Dorsey’s last four games, Diggs saw 36 targets, catching 24 of them for 248 yards and two touchdowns. Diggs also snagged a two-point conversion. He had two drops.

Through Brady’s three games, Diggs has been targeted 30 times but has caught just 14 for 125 yards and a touchdown. Diggs has dropped three passes and fumbled once.

“I’m going to be honest: It’s frustrating,” Diggs said. “Being out there, I’ve got to do a lot of things to get open, and then a lot of things got to go right for me to get the ball.

“For me, when it doesn’t happen, of course, I’m going to be frustrated. Y’all know how much of a competitor I am. I like to play at a high level, and I always want it to happen, and even when it doesn’t materialize, I definitely get discouraged at a moment. But then I’ve got to shake back because I always look at it, like, my team still needs me.”

Diggs paces the sidelines and exalts his teammates to push harder, stay focused, kick ass.

“I try to motivate guys, and I can’t be in a low spirit or a low energy at any time in a game,” Diggs said. “You know on the sideline how I am. I try to get guys going and continue it, and part of that kind of uplifts myself, but it’s damn sure frustrating.”

With co-captain Gabriel Davis also struggling to make a consistent impact, youngsters have picked up the slack, youngsters who’ve certainly benefited from Diggs’ tutelage.

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Sophomore receiver Khalil Shakir had four catches on just five targets through those six games when Diggs was scalding but has since averaged 3.7 targets, 3.1 catches and 54.6 yards. Second-year tailback James Cook has 251 yards and three receiving touchdowns (same as Diggs) during that stretch, too. Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid hasn’t had fewer than five receptions since Week 5 in London.

“We’ve just got to continue to make plays and, I guess, spread the ball around,” Diggs said. “We’ve been winning so far. In a perfect world, I want the ball. I want to have success. At the end of the day, we’re winning games. That’s what I’ve got to tip my hat to, but I’m still chasing greatness each and every day. It’s not because I don’t want it. I promise you that.

“I want to still continue to play at a high level, but I’ve got to play within the scheme and be me with us. We’ve got a slogan or words to live by: ‘Be you with us.’ I’m going to still be me. I’m not going to stop, but hopefully, we get some things rolling.”

(Photo: Bryan Bennett / Getty Images)

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