This New England Patriots star made some interesting remarks after losing to the Buffalo Bills.
The New England Patriots appeared prepared to cruise to an AFC East division title in the early stages of their Week 15 matchup with the Buffalo Bills, as they took a 21-0 lead out of the gate.
However, the Bills rallied for a 35-31 victory, moving to within one game of the Patriots for the division lead.
It was a devastating loss for New England and kind of, sort of signaled that the Pats may not be quite "there" yet when it comes to contending for a Super Bowl, but Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs had other thoughts after the game.
Diggs actually feels that the loss was good for New England.
“It’s been a while since we lost, but I wouldn’t say we forgot (how to lose),” Diggs said. “But it’s definitely something, you never know. We probably needed it.”
The 32-year-old then went on to qualify his statement, stating that the defeat is only a positive thing if the Pats learn from it.
New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs. Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images.“I’m not going to say it’s a lot of pressure, but you expect to win — as you should — each and every week,” Diggs added. “… It’s good for us. I kind of said it at the beginning of the year: lessons. If you don’t learn nothing from it, then obviously you lost. But it’s a lesson for sure.”
While Diggs may be coping a bit here, it's definitely encouraging that the veteran is attempting to find a silver lining in the loss, even though there really is never such a thing as a "good" loss.
The Patriots had won 10 straight games prior to the Bills defeat, and in a wide open AFC, it was starting to look more and more like New England was a legitimate championship contender.
But the Pats were certainly hit with a bit of a reality check on Sunday.
Diggs logged three catches for 26 yards on four targets against Buffalo, which were actually identical numbers to what he posted in the Patriots' previous game. He has managed just eight catches the last three contests.
On the season overall, the four-time Pro Bowler has caught 67 passes for 731 yards and three touchdowns.
Things won't get much easier for New England next week, as it will head on the road to battle a desperate Baltimore Ravens team on Sunday night.